Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Could-Speak-to-Pokemon
by DarkScales
Summary: What if Harry's twin brother Chris was mistaken as the BWL, and their parents survived? What if Harry was shipped off to the Dursleys, who abused him? What if he was found by Mewtwo, who took him to the World of Pokemon to be raised in safety? What if the fates of the Wizarding World and the World of Pokemon were linked, and those realms were once one and the same? What if?
1. Prologue

**Hi, I'm back! Sorry for not updating sooner, but it's been hectic lately. Yes, I know I shouldn't be starting a new story with Honor Among Thieves still unfinished, but this plot bunny won't leave me alone! Please let me know if I should continue this! (By the way, if it's continued, chapters will definitely be a lot longer than this.)  
**

**Disclaimer: Don't own, belongs to Nintendo and J.K. Rowling**

* * *

My name is Thunder.

I am a luxray who lives in Eterna Forest.

I live with my friends Devil, Draca, Spike, Glider, and Flare. They are a houndoom, dragonair, lucario, gliscor, and arbok respectively. Mewtwo drops in for a visit occasionally as well.

We're a motley group, nothing too special. Although it is a wonder that we all get along so well, considering the type differences. But all in all, we're a pretty close-knit group. Why, you ask? Simple.

We may be vastly different, if you're just considering appearance, ability, and type. However, we all have one thing in common: we were all either abandoned, abused, neglected, or ran away from our trainers. Therefore, we also don't trust humans very much.

However, this tale isn't about us. This tale is about a very special human boy, and how he became one of the Pride. It's about how we cared for him, and he cared for us, forging a bond that would never be broken. It's about how this bond ran so deep that we followed him all the way to another world and back, destroying an evil wizard called Voldywort or something like that. This story is about Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Could-Speak-to-Pokemon.

_(Oh you've got to be kidding me... not ANOTHER stupid title!)_

_(Hehehehe!)_

_(Shut up.)_


	2. Prophecies and Training

**OH. MY. FREAKING. GOSH. So many reviews! (Author faints.) Seriously, I never expected this much attention. I mean, that was just the prologue, and there's already like six reviews and who knows how many alerts! Thank you to GoldenSteel, NooShoak, 917brat, hi hi 1234, and ANAMAZINGSTORYTELLER for being my first reviewers!**

**GoldenSteel: I'm trying to make every chapter around seven pages on google docs, which is roughly 2,000 words per chapter. Please tell me if you want it longer!**

**Guest: Yes, I know that it's just a cartoon show and that it doesn't exist. However, I disagree that it's a terrible show. I know that when I was younger I throughly enjoyed it, but you are, of course, entitled to your own opinion. But if you don't like it, why are you reading this fic?**

**Disclaimer: Don't own, see previous chapter.**

* * *

The day we met Harry Potter was by far one of the weirdest days of my life. For one, Mewtwo popped up just as we were settling down for the night holding, of all things, a sleeping human child. Definitely not what we expected.

Next, we found out that the kid was from a different world. Which meant that he was technically an alien. That was even weirder.

What wasn't as weird but was extremely infuriating was that the child had been abused and neglected. As you've probably guessed, this was the cause of much bristling and raised hackles, due to the fact that every single member of the Pride had also been abused or neglected in some way.

Finally, the weirdest thing about the child was that not only was he technically an alien, he could speak the language of pokemon. However, along with that, he could also speak the language of serpents, which, according to Mewtwo, was called Parseltongue on his world. That ability was regarded as evil on his planet, which was part of the reason that he'd been shipped off to his abusive aunt and uncle for.

To this day, I'm still not exactly sure why we all decided to adopt him as one of the Pride- our little Cub. Maybe it was because we could identify with his experiences, or because we simply felt the need to protect him as a young child. I don't know, but whatever it was, I'm glad we did it. Besides, it was a unanimous decision.

"Hey, Mewtwo, if you got him from a different world, how did you get there? I mean, I know you're powerful enough to open a portal, but doesn't Palkia control Space?" Devil asked, prodding the embers of the fire in the middle of the cave. Harry, who hadn't made a single sound the entire time, was curled up in a corner and refused any contact with us. Mewtwo, in response to Devil's question, just snorted.

"That old Pearl-Brain can't stop me. Besides, I don't really care. If Palkia doesn't want me to save a kid from a horrible childhood that will probably scar him for life, she can come down here and tell me that herself." He replied tartly. After that, the subject was dropped.

* * *

Over the next few days, Harry got used to life in the forest, and gradually got more comfortable with pokemon. Or rather, he at least didn't shriek and start trembling at the sight of one. We taught him the basics of battling, for which he was a natural, as well as basic survival skills such as which berries healed and which ones were the most nutritious.

Harry also enjoyed finding new combinations of attacks, which made us think that he could have had a wonderful career as a contest battler if he wanted. For example, one of his particularly deadly combinations was my thunderbolt combined with Devil's ember attack to make electrified embers. To be honest, really, I surprised at how fast he picked it up. Though compared to other human children, I suppose he was rather intelligent for his age.

As Harry used to living in the forest, he got more and more curious about the nearby town of Eterna every day. So eventually we caved and took him there, if only so he would be quiet. Though I suppose it was good for him to keep contact with members of his own species.

At first he was subjected to much staring, partly due to the rare pokemon by his side and because he was so young. At first, he was also quite wary of males in general, especially adults larger than him. Due to his small size, though, that included just about every adult male he met. However, once he became a regular visitor, people eventually stopped giving him strange glances and he began relaxing more around other people.

Harry also took up somewhat of a part-time job helping out at the gym with odd jobs and such, like pruning the bushes. He would also spend a lot of time in the library, poring over books and soaking them up like a sponge. It was amazing, really, how advanced his comprehension skills were as he read everything from classics to encyclopedias.

However, when Harry was seven, Mewtwo had some grave news for us.

It was, once again, late at night, and we were all curled up around a warm fire. Harry was asleep within Flare's coils, and the rest of us were digesting our dinner.

Then, a swirling portal opened up at the mouth of the cave, and Mewtwo exited with a frown on his stern face. Now, this wasn't uncommon, seeing as it seemed like he was always frowning, but this time it looked like he was being even more serious than usual.

"Hello, Mewtwo. What's up?" Spike asked. The legendary pokemon's frown deepened as he walked in, sitting down cross-legged by the fire.

"I've just come back from Harry's world, and I'm afraid I've got some bad news. You see, Harry's brother, Christopher Potter, is apparently the savior of the wizarding world for defeating an evil wizard called Voldemort when he was just a baby. However, Voldemort isn't dead, because he split his soul into many pieces and has them hidden. There's also a prophecy regarding Chris that says that one of them the only one powerful enough to defeat him."

"So? What's the prophecy, then?"

"...Well, it goes like this, but it's not very good...

The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies ..."

"..."

Utter silence fell. Then Spike, master of stating the obvious, said, "Well, that ain't good."

"Gee, no duh." Draca muttered, rolling her eyes. Flare frowned and curled up even more, squeezing Harry a bit tighter. I growled slightly, feeling sparks dance over my paws. Glider rustled and shifted uncomfortably, while Devil sank his claws into the ground.

"No, it's not good at all. From what I gathered, the entire wizarding population of his country expects him to save them all. That's a lot of responsibility for a child."

"Okaaay, but what does that have to do with Harry?" Spike asked uncertainly. Mewtwo sighed and glanced over at the sleeping boy, a small smile flickering over his face. Then he slipped back into a frown, and turned back to the lucario.

"Well, since Chris is Harry's twin brother, the prophecy could have been about either of them. However, I have reason to believe that it was actually about Harry, and that he was the one who defeated Voldemort and not his brother. That's because Harry was marked by his distinctive lightning bolt scar, which I know you've all been wondering about." Here he stopped and used psychic to life Harry's bandanna from his forehead, exposing the lightning bolt-shaped scar that we all had, indeed, been wondering about.

"Now, Chris was marked similarly on his forehead in the shape of the letters LV, which the wizards believe to stand for Lord Voldemort. However, through my research, I think that it's more likely that this mark is probably the result of the debris of their room, which was destroyed quite spectacularly in the magical backlash." After this, Mewtwo stopped and fully explained the history of what had transpired in the Wizarding World, going more in-depth than his brief run-through before.

"... therefore, if Harry really is the one prophesied to defeat Voldemort, he's going to need training. If he isn't, then, well, he'll simply have an extra advantage in a fight. However, whether he is the true Boy-Who-Lived or not, either way he needs to go back to the Wizarding World eventually, if only to receive a more formal education in magic than we can give him."

Cue shocked uproar.

"What? Why? He should never have to go back to those... those... those horrible creatures! They abandoned him to the Dursleys!" Draca hissed, thrashing her tail about. A storm began brewing outside the cave, and the trees bent under the driving wind.

Flare's hood was open and his forked tongue was darting in and out, eyes narrowed to tiny slits. Glider was fluttering agitatedly about the ceiling, and Devil was shredding the floor. Spike was pacing, surrounded by a blue aura that made his eyes glow blue and his mane to rise up behind him. I was tensed up, hackles raised, and could feel the electricity crackling in my fur. Then, Harry stirred and sat up.

Instantly, we all quieted down. Fur smoothed, hackles dropped, and the storm died down. Harry, or Cub as we liked to call him, looked around blearily. His hair was all mussed up under the black bandanna that hid his scar and kept the hair out of his eyes, and his emerald green eyes were unfocused and groggy with the dregs of sleep.

"Wha's all the noise?" He yawned, swaying slightly from side to side.

"Nothing, Cub. Go back to sleep." I purred gently, padding over and nuzzling him. He nodded sleepily and yawned again, then curled back up using Draca as a bed and Devil as a pillow. Mewtwo chuckled (Mewtwo! Chuckled!) at the sight, reaching out with a psychic caress.

Within minutes, the young boy was once again in dreamland. Then the conversation returned again to the previous subject.

To put a long story short, Mewtwo eventually argued his point enough that we allowed him to bring back Harry to the Wizarding World when he was eleven on one condition: that we go with him. Since Mewtwo had already talked to Palkia and the other legendaries after they'd confronted him about Harry, (Palkia had been mad at first that he'd opened a portal through space without her permission, but deflated when told about Harry) he could enlist their help.

Finally, Mewtwo left after the details of the training plan were ironed out, and the rest of us finally got some sleep.

* * *

The next morning, after explaining everything to Harry, we were all relieved that he'd taken it quite well. His response did create a pang in my heart, though.

"Yeah, I guess I kind of always knew... I mean, I could feel that I was more powerful than Chris before they left me, but I was just kind of ignored all the time. Every time I did accidental magic they thought it was Chris, but it wasn't..." he murmured half to himself.

Over the next week, Spike began training him in self defense. As the only one of us with a bipedal form, he was the ideal trainer, as he was also part fighting type. Though Harry couldn't do attacks like brick break or low kick, he could still do the moves without the pokemon exclusive attack power.

On his magical training, however, we had no clue on where to start. Luckily for us, that problem was solved quite quickly.

A week after our nighttime conversation, Mewtwo walked in on one of Spike's training sessions. However, this time he brought some visitors.

"Hello, Harry. I've brought some people who can train you in your magic." He said, producing two elegantly designed picture frames. My eyebrows rose in surprise, as the frames were empty with only background but no people in them.

Just then, two people, a wizard and a witch judging by their clothes, walked into their frames. I started in surprise as the people moved, acting for all the world like living, breathing humans.

"Hello, Harry." They said in unison. "My name is Merlin," the man on the left said with a short bow. He was wearing a dark blue robe and a pointy hat on his head, with a medium-length grey beard and a long staff. His sky blue eyes were soft and kind, filled with age and wisdom.

"And I'm Morgana, also known as Morgan le Fay," the lady on the right followed with a curtsy. "We'll be your mentors until you can go to Hogwarts."

Harry's eyes were wider than a loudred's mouth. All he could say was, "Woah... really?"

Merlin chuckled. "Yes, really. Now, what better time to start than the present?"

* * *

Somewhere deep within Hogwarts...

Dumbledore frowned as he peered into the empty room. Two large rectangles with a distinct lack of dust compared to the rest of the room hung on the walls. "That's strange," he muttered. "There should be something there..." Crouching, he noticed a pair of odd footprints on the floor. They had two toes, almost like paws, and were about the size of his hand. But there were just two, and no others. "What in the name of Merlin...?" he muttered. "Something odd is afoot in the castle..."

The two empty squares seemed to mock him with their hidden secrets. And if there was one thing Dumbledore hated, it was secrets that he didn't know.


	3. Wandless Magic, Arceus, and Ninjas

**Sorry this is late, I've been busy lately... yeah, lame excuse. Anyway, huge thanks to NooShoak, moon fire 96, hi hi 1234, Knight25, Azzie Daughter Of Poseidon, edboy4926, and Guest for reviewing!**

**To moon fire 96: This chapter will answer you question, and I hope you agree with my choice! ****To Guest: I personally will keep the wording as it is, but thank you for the suggestion!**

**PLEASE READ! IS IMPORTANT! Okay, so I'm putting up a poll on my profile page over which house Harry will be in. Please vote!**

* * *

A week later, Cub was quite literally bouncing off the walls of the cave. Merlin had, against Morgana's better judgment, taught the young boy a spell to temporarily turn his body into rubber. After doing that, Cub had then somehow used his magic like a baseball bat, propelling him very hard into the ceiling. From there, he made like a bouncy ball and was soon ricocheting off anything his curled up rubbery body came into contact with, shrieking with joy the entire time.

However, after he'd bounced off Devil's back, the rest of us had elected to move outside, where we were chatting with the portraits. Merlin was talking about wandless magic and exactly how Cub was so unique in being able to use it to Glider, Spike, and Draca, while Morgana was explaining the animagus transformation to everyone else.

A few minutes later, the sounds of laughter finally stopped and Cub stumbled out, grinning like he'd just had the time of his life. Which, to his young seven-year old mind, he probably had.

"Hey, Thunder, look what Merlin taught me!" he cried enthusiastically, bounding over and holding out his hand. A small yellow ball of light was hovering just above his palm, and was quickly joined by another... and another... and another... and another... and another... until there were six little glowing balls total. Then they all began flashing different colors and growing to different sizes, ranging from a golf-ball sized red one to a basketball-sized purple one. Then he began changing their shapes, too, so that one became a heart and another was a star and so on.

"Wow, that's really cool. Nice job, Cub." I said proudly, batting at one of the shapes. Then they all combined into one big rainbow colored sphere, which dangled above my head tantalizingly.

Now, I may have been a fully grown luxray who'd outgrown my kitten stage a long time ago, but there was something about that ball that just screamed "catch it."

So I obeyed my instinct and leapt straight up, batting at the ball. Cub giggled and it zoomed out of my reach, hovering just above my head. Devil snickered behind his paw, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like "Giant kitten." I paused just long enough to growl at him before turning my attention back to the ball.

I crouched and leapt again, missing by a fraction of an inch. Cub laughed and made it zoom around the clearing, watching as I tore after it. I leapt and was about to get it until he made it go directly backwards, forcing me to twist in midair and land in an undignified heap on the mossy ground. Devil was now all-out laughing at me, while Flare was making strange hissing sounds that were a snake's way of laughing.

I growled and sent a weak thunderbolt at the two of them, making them both jump and glare at me. Then we all grinned at each other and broke down laughing, the giant ball of light dissipating into the air.

Sometime between Cub's demonstration and my display of distinctly kitten-like actions, the others had wandered over with Merlin and Morgana propped against a pair of tree trunks. The two powerful mages applauded Cub's ability while giving him tips on how to improve, such as how to make it so that the shapes would cycle through a variety of colors. I purred with satisfaction at how good Cub was getting, as well as how happy and full of life he was. This was a marked contrast from when he'd first arrived, timid and scared of just about everything.

Devil padded over to me and sat down, observing the young boy with his teachers.

"He looks so much happier, huh?"

"Yeah, he does. It's nice."

But before our conversation could continue, there was a flash of white light that blinded us all, even the paintings. And when it cleared, we were met with an amazing sight.

Arceus, the King of Legendaries himself was standing before us. A few moments of utter silence fell, then as one we bowed as best we could in front of the heavenly pokemon. Cub, who didn't know who Arceus was, stared in wonder but copied our positions.

"Please, rise. There's no need to act like that." he said. Merlin chuckled from his painting and smiled.

"Arceus, my old friend. It's been a long time. I believe the last time I saw you was… ah, my old memory… oh, about a millennia ago, wasn't it?" he said fondly. The great legendary inclined his head and glided a few inches off the ground towards him, lowering his head to inspect the pictures.

"Yes, just before Palkia warped space to bring us here. You're looking well for a thousand year old mortal. As are you, Lady Le Fay." he replied warmly. I tilted my head to the side, utterly confused. How did an ancient wizard from another planet where pokemon didn't exist know of Arceus?

The pokemon in question chuckled, as if he'd read my mind.

"Yes, Merlin, Morgana and I were good friends. Still are, actually. Now, as you are all looking very confused, allow me to explain.

"You see, I know of the wizarding world because pokemon were originally from there. However, we left when the first wizards and witches started becoming hostile towards us. They were just learning about their magical abilities, and feared that the pokemon would try to 'compete' with them. This led to more and more disputes between our races, until the legendaries finally came together and agreed that it would be best if we left. In short, it was because the wizards feared and oppressed us- a bit like the goblins."

Harry, with all his seven year old wisdom, broke the silence with three innocently cute words.

"Well, that's mean," he said with a pout. Morgana laughed and agreed, then shook her head sadly at the state of modern day wizards. From what she said, it sounded like their world was riddled with corruption and bigotry.

"Well, that's pleasant," Spike muttered sarcastically. The two portraits agreed.

"However, there's more. Another reason that Voldemort must be defeated is that if he manages to take over the world there, it is inevitable he will eventually stumble upon records of this world as well. We left a spell that would transport the user between our planets, and if he gets his hands on it, the results would be disasterous." Arceus said gravely. My eyes widened, as did just about everyone else's.

"So, that means that wizards could possibly come here without the help of a legendary such as Palkia or Mewtwo?" Flare hissed. The King of Legendaries nodded.

"Yes, and that is why it is so imperative that Voldemort is defeated. However, this will not be easy, as the wizarding world believes that Christopher Potter is the Boy Who Lived. Voldemort also made multiple items known as Horcruxes, which contain part of his soul. Unless you destroy all the Horcruxes, Voldemort is, essentially, immortal. Now, I must be going. Goodbye. It was good seeing you, Merlin, Morgana." With that, Arceus began to glow and vanished in a flash of light, leaving the rest of us blinking in confusion.

"Horcruxes? Oh, this is not good, not good at all. Very evil magics indeed... and knowing Voldemort, he probably has at least seven." Merlin muttered, looking very worried.

Before, he'd sensed an evil... something... attached to Cub's forehead- or more specifically, his scar. However, he hadn't known what it was, and was thus unable to remove it. It did, however, start one of his amusing rants on how useless he was as a portrait compared to when he was alive and whatnot.

Cub, for his part, just looking slightly confused. "So, what's a Horcrux?" he asked innocently.

This led to a long conversation with the two paintings involving dark magic, evil lords, and arcane rituals. Most of it went right over my head.

* * *

After that enlightening discussion, Merlin set about teaching Cub ways to destroy Horcruxes while Morgana worked on the mind arts and the animagus transformation. Both were incredibly difficult, as Morgana was teaching with the harder but more effective method. This ensured that he would gain mastery of both subjects faster than most, but he would have to work twice as hard. Since it usually took a year to master each using this method, and we only four, Morgana was working him as hard as she could.

A month after that we were on our way to the Kanto region to learn from Koga, a ninja master. Spike had taught our boy as much as he could without the kid being an actual pokemon, and Koga was the best martial arts master in the world. So that meant that we had to trek through the woods in search of his dojo, which doubled as a poison type gym.

When we finally got there, it only took a few minutes to navigate the traps with my x-ray vision. At first, the gym leader had laughed off Cub's request for training, but realized his potential when he defeated Aya. Since he'd agreed to train him only if he could defeat the ninja's sister, Koga really had no choice at that point.

All in all, however, it was a win-win situation. Cub was trained in the ways of the ninja while mastering his magics, Mewtwo still checked in on us every so often, and the older siblings were learning new battle techniques that they'd never thought of using before.

However, as we were now living in the dojo, it was inevitable that they would find out about magic eventually. After all, you can only cause so many accidental explosions before somebody comes to investigate. Hence our current situation: Cub was sitting cross-legged in the middle of his room, while attempting to blast a transfigured doll of his brother to bits.

While this was all good and wonderful, as it provided wonderful incentive to learn the spell, (which he'd mastered even faster than usual) it also led to loud explosions. Due to the fact that he'd forgotten about silencing charms, having not really had the need for them deep in Eterna, his explosions had echoed through the house.

Consequently, Koga and Aya had both come running, probably to make sure Cub (or Harry as they called him) was alright. It was actually rather cute how they'd both quickly assumed the roles of overprotective siblings, something which Cub both enjoyed and hated at the same time.

The current scene of devastation was of a soot-covered room with blackened walls and chunks of doll scattered across the floor, and Cub sitting right in the middle of it blinking in a very shell-shocked manner. Of course, since the explosion had been quite a bit larger than he'd expected, this was understandable.

What happened next was a long conversation about magic, where the two portraits filled the ninja siblings in on the wizarding world and Cub's role in it, after deeming the siblings trustworthy enough to know of course.

After that, the two had immediately wanted to know anything and everything about Cub's training, especially on spells that could disguise people such as the disillusion spell and notice-me-not charms. While a bit crestfallen that only those with magical abilities could do them, they'd perked right back up when they were informed that Cub would be fully capable of performing them himself and was happy to demonstrate when he mastered those spells.

A week later, the younger boy had somehow gotten himself roped into a magic show. However, when asked to demonstrate the explosion curse which had led to entire thing in the first place, the blast was even greater than before due to the chain reaction of numerous voltorb and electrode that had been too close when the initial explosion had gone off. This led to half the training yard becoming little more than churned up dirt and bits of wood where trees used to be. I, of course, watched all this from a safe distance away.

Things did settle down eventually, though. Life fell into a comfortable routine of ninja training, pokemon training, and magic training. Cub, for his part, was improving in leaps and bounds on all subjects, which led to our suspicions that Cub was a prodigy and possibly bordering on the genius level. Honestly, though, I hadn't been that surprised.

Cub's always been special, after all.

* * *

A month after we'd moved in with Koga and Aya, Cub found his forms. Like his tutors, he'd had three: a magical animal, and regular animal, and a pokemon. Cub was a black phoenix with emerald green eyes and a lightning bolt scar on his forehead, as well as a black panther also with green eyes and a lightning bolt scar. Finally, Cub's final form was that of a ninetales, again with green eyes and the scar. However, where a normally colored ninetales' fur would be a golden cream color, Cub's was jet-black. His tail-tips, which would normally be orange, were emerald green like his eyes.

Personally, I thought that a ninetales fit him rather well. It was mysterious, powerful, and incredibly intelligent- just like Cub.

Several months after that he'd succeeded in transforming, and was now working on learning pokemon attacks.

Several years later, when it was late May, Mewtwo arrived and sadly informed us that it was time for Cub to make his way back to the wizarding world. Even though we were allowed to come with him, I was still sad to leave the two ninjas. We'd all grown closer over time, until they became Cub's surrogate family along with the Pride.

Cub, for his part, had grown enormously, both physically and magically. No longer the scrawny boy he used to be, he was now strong and tall. You could still see that he was young, but most would have pegged his age at around twelve or thirteen rather than eleven due to the rigorous training he'd been undergoing for the past few years.

So with the promise to visit at winter and summer break, Cub packed his things and stepped through Mewtwo's portal, re-entering the world that had abandoned him long ago.


	4. Return to the Wizarding World

**Huge thanks to edboy4926, ultima-owner, Kyrianae Narii, NooShoak, mbahgila21,Toby860, moon fire 96, and Guest for reviewing!**

**To mbahgila21: Sorry about this, but I can't write romance, so there will be no pairings. My logic is that for one, the characters are only 11. Secondly, all my attempts at romance end badly. REALLY badly. So rather than mess up the entire thing by trying to write something I'm not good at, the only romance will probably be the characters teasing each other about non-existent crushes and stuff like that. Sorry!**

**To Kyrianae Narii: I'm not sure what you mean by that, but hey, it's still a review!**

**So, probably a couple more chapters until Hogwarts. Why am I drawing it out, you ask? Well, I would like a few more people to vote on the poll, since as of now it's a tie with two votes for Slytherin and two votes for Ravenclaw. Hufflepuff and Gryffindor have none. Please be the tiebreaker, somebody!**

* * *

The method Cub used to disguise us was actually quite simple. f He simply shrunk us down until we were only a few inches tall and passed us off as custom-made magical figurines. Since real magical figurines pretty much looked and acted exactly like the real thing, this wouldn't be too difficult.

Flare wound himself around Cub's right arm while Draca wound around his left, creating the appearance of very unorthodox arm bands. Devil rode on his left shoulder while I sat on his right. Finally, Spike and Glider sat on top of his head. Throw in the emerald-green hooded cloak, black ninja outfit without a face mask, and numerous weapons, gave Cub an odd but intimidating appearance. Especially if you consider the ten throwing stars, two combat knives, and the katana slung across his back.

Okay, so maybe this was a little much, but Cub didn't exactly have a lot of confidence in wizarding security. Besides, he'd worked so much with those weapons they were almost a part of him now. And if he got lazy of out of practice during his time at Hogwarts, Koga would make him pay when he got back. The same went for Merlin and Morgana.

Consequently, when the portal deposited us in the alley behind the Leaky Cauldron, Cub got quite a few strange looks when he entered the pub. Even Tom the barkeeper gave him an odd look, and he was used to seeing banshees. Though that might have been partly due to his resemblance to James Potter as well.

However, once a room had been reserved with the promise of pay later and his stuff brought in, Cub took off his cloak and sat down on the bed with a sigh.

"Man, that thing was getting hot. I know Aya said it would get really cold in the winter, but it's still summer! Late May!" he cried dramatically. I just snorted, curling up on the bed.

"Oh shut up, I know for a fact that you had cooling charms on every single piece of clothing. I, for one, felt like I was sitting next to an air conditioner." Devil barked, smirking.

Cub just snorted and scratched him, rubbing the itchy area he always had behind his cheek. The fire type then moaned in happiness and leaned into his touch, tail wagging like crazy.

"Well, do you guys want to go explore? I heard that there are lots of interesting places to go here," Cub asked. Flare hissed in agreement and slithered back under Cub's sleeve, hiding from view. The rest of the Pride then reattached themselves to various parts of Cub's body as he put his cloak back on, if only for the numerous expanded pockets within. After all, carrying all his inevitable purchases in unwieldy bags would be highly illogical.

When Cub exited the bar, he realized that he really had no idea on how to get to Diagon Alley in the first place. However, this was soon solved when another wizard dressed in heavy robes exited. He tapped a brick in the wall, causing it to slide open and create a doorway.

The first word that comes to mind for me personally when I think of Diagon Alley is "chaotic." There are stores packed together like sardines in a can, but are magically expanded to be larger on the inside than on the outside. People are milling about everywhere and it's always crowded, a bit like Jubilife City.

I, of course, did not like it one bit. As a feline I had more acute hearing and sharper senses, which were immediately overloaded by the sounds and smells of the packed area. Devil was the same, though his ears were much smaller and thus affected less.

Cub, though shorter than most of the people there, easily cut a path through the crowd. Keeping his hood up so that he would be less likely to be recognized, he was still an imposing figure with the dark clothing and miniaturized pokémon. Most shoppers scurried out of his way and gave him strange glances out of the corners of their eyes, and hushed whispers followed him wherever he went.

"So, where to first?" Spike asked, peeking out from under the hood.

"Gringotts. I'll need to exchange some poke for wizarding money," he answered quietly.

Gringotts was a large, imposing building of white marble that loomed over every other store. A pair of goblins guarded the entrance, with the infamous Gringotts warning inscribed over the entrance.

_Enter, stranger, but take heed_

_Of what awaits the sin of greed_

_For those who take, but do not earn,_

_Must pay most dearly in their turn._

_So if you seek beneath our floors_

_A treasure that was never yours,_

_Thief, you have been warned, beware_

_Of finding more than treasure there._

"..."

"Well, that's... ominous. Good thing I'm not a thief," Cub muttered. Then we entered the entrance hall, which was, in a word, huge.

Immediately, Harry walked purposefully towards one of the goblins sitting at the counter.

"Excuse me sir, but may I exchange this for wizarding money?" he asked politely, placing a sack of poke on the counter. The goblin looked through it critically, raising an eyebrow at the designs.

"I'm sorry, but I haven't seen this type of money for a long, long, time. I'm afraid we'll have to take this to the director," he said. The goblin then hopped off the stood and beckoned for us to follow, leading us through the halls into an opulent office with the nameplate on the door reading RAGNOCK. Another pair of guards flanked the doorway, inspecting the goblin teller's ID before allowing us in.

The director of Gringotts was a much older goblin, shown by his many wrinkles. However, he had the look of a powerful warrior, and was clearly not somebody you wanted to mess with. He also had several battle scars, most noticeably a long white line running from his cheek to his collarbone.

"Yes? What is it?" He asked irritably.

"Sir, this child has just brought in a currency that I have only ever seen in history books. Poke," he replied, handing over the bag. The director inspected it for a few moments to ensure that it was not fake, then turned to Cub in surprise.

"How did you come about these?" he demanded. "The last time this money was used was millennia ago. Coins of this type no longer exist!"

"I know that. However, while they do not exist here, it is much more commonly used where I come from. I was wondering if I could exchange it for wizarding money, since I'll need it for my school things," Cub replied softly. Ragnock scrutinized the boy suspiciously.

"Who are you? Where do you come from? Pokémon left this world long ago, and we have not heard from them ever since. Were you there?" he asked. Since the entire Pride had hidden under the cloak earlier due to Cub's request to "surprise the goblins," Cub just sighed, pulled down his hood, and took off the cloak.

Spike hopped down to stand on the director's desk and looked curiously at the papers, while I stayed on Cub's shoulder and examined the rest of the bank using my x-ray vision.

A sharp intake of breath was heard and the director's eyes widened, bugging out so much I thought that they would pop out of his head.

"A lucario, houndoom, gliscor, luxray, dragonair, and arbok. Impressive for such a young trainer. But why are they so small?" he asked, puzzled. Cub smiled and waved his hand, expanding us to our proper sizes.

"Oh, that feels good. I'm not tiny anymore," I proclaimed smugly, stretching out my paws one at a time.

"Yeah, you're right. It was awful, being smaller than a wurmple," Devil agreed.

"Ah, I am now taller than everyone else in the room again. Is it just me, or is it crowded in here?" Draca asked, where she was coiled on the floor. Spike just snorted as Glider flapped over to hang from his mane.

"Of course it's smaller, six moderately large pokémon have just squeezed in all at once," Spike replied sarcastically. The goblins' eyebrows shot up at this, since Spike was the only one of us who could speak human. (I'd suspected for a while that he might be a descendant of a famous lucario that apprenticed to an aura-reading human, since the ability for a pokémon and lucario in particular to speak human was rare and sometimes hereditary.)

After a few minutes of shocked gawking, the goblins finally returned to Cub.

"Ah, so you've returned at last, Harry Potter. I should have known you weren't dead after all." Ragnock smiled at this, though it wasn't a comforting one. No, his smile was more like the one a gengar would get after a particularly effective trick was just pulled. I knew immediately that the goblins were not a people who you would want to get on the bad side of, and that the director was probably thinking up methods of using Cub's presence so that it would best benefit them.

"Yes, I have, and no, I can assure that I am very much alive. Now, can I exchange the poke for wizarding money, or is there no exchange rate for it?" Cub asked, getting back to the point.

"Ahh, well, you see, Mr. Potter, since this type of money has not been seen for a very, very long time, it is worth quite a lot. About… three galleons per poke, I would say."

At this, my eyes widened. Merlin had informed us that the wizarding currency system had not changed for thousands of years, and that a 3:1 exchange rate of galleons to poke was extremely good. In short, since Cub had accumulated over 10,000 poke from various battles and odd jobs, this essentially made him rich.

Cub was mind-boggled as well. "Um, well… can I open a new vault for this? Since I'm pretty sure James Potter locked me out of the family vaults, as well as the trust one," he said, his old British accent returning with every sentence he spoke.

The director frowned, pulling out a stack of paperwork.

"Ahh... that, Mr. Potter, might be a bit problematic. You see, you are still a minor, and Dursleys are your legal guardians. You can only open a vault if you are a legal adult or if your guardians oversee it. Since you undoubtedly do not want that, you will first have to get your relatives to sign these emancipation papers before opening a vault of your own.

"If you leave this here, we will exchange it and hold the money until you can open your own vault. Is that all right with you?" Ragnock asked, handing over the small pile of parchments. Cub nodded, and I could practically see the gears turning in his mind already.

"One last thing, please. Is there a deadline for the signatures? I believe that I can get them by tomorrow, but it may take longer."

"No, there isn't, other than they must be signed before your seventeenth birthday, when you become a legal adult by default."

"All right, then. Thank you very much for your time," Cub said, rising from the desk and holding out his hand for the older goblin to shake. The director looked almost surprised for a minute, before reaching out and clasping the boy's hand in his own.

After that, Cub just waved his hand and we shrunk down again, taking our perches on his cloak.

* * *

An hour later, Cub touched down in his phoenix form in front of Number Four, Privet Drive, in Little Whinging, Surrey. Those of us who couldn't fly rode on his back, while Draca and Glider got to fly next to him. Using wandless magic, which he was able to do in all his forms (since the magic was, y'know, _wandless,) _he cast disillusionment spells to make us invisible to the naked eye.

Crouching slightly so that we could dismount, Cub then transformed back into a human. Then he ducked behind a tree and canceled the charm, walking up the sidewalk to his aunt, uncle, and cousin's house.

As I looked around, I could see where they'd hired landscapers to make their yard look as perfect as possible, and how the house looked exactly the same as every other house on that street. So to the eye, the house was just normal and fine.

The smell, however, was a different story.

The only word I could find to somewhat accurately describe the stench of that place would be sickening. The most prominent scent was food, very fatty and greasy food that made even only relatively healthy people sick to their stomachs to even look at. So to the sensitive noses of Devil and I, it was completely overwhelming. I choked and coughed on it when we got to the driveway, even smelling more of it cooking when it seeped through the doorway and the windows.

"You okay, guys?" Cub asked worriedly when he heard.

"Fine. Just... smelly, to say the least. Be glad for the stunted olfactory senses of a human right now. Be very, very, glad," Devil rasped out. Even with his heightened animagus senses, the only clue our Cub got was a whiff of fat and grease which normal human noses could never have picked up.

"Okay, if I can only get a whiff and it's bad, then it must be awful for you. Sorry, guys, I forgot that it might stink. You can wait outside if you want," he offered. I shook my head in a negative, and Devil did the same on his other shoulder.

"All right, then. If you say so."

Then he walked up the front steps and rang the doorbell, hearing the sounds of the television going and probably some sort of violent video game playing on the second floor, assuming the faint sounds of guns shooting and something dying were anything to go by.


	5. Emancipation and the Hogwarts Express

**Sorry this took so long, but I've been busy! Anyway, this chapter is the Hogwarts Express. Sorry, but you'll find out Harry's house next chapter! By the way, the poll is now closed and the results are in! Huge thanks to all of you who voted! And thank you to ultima-owner, Kyrianae Narii, Guest, and Moon (Guest) for reviewing!****  
**

**To Kyrianae Narii: I'm going with the more flexible anime battling style, simply because I think the standard four attacks from the games are a bit too confining. Plus, I like being able to combine attacks and having a greater range of choices. Just imagine this: Chris Potter on the business end of a flamethrower/thunderbolt combination, followed by dragon breath/psychic... **

**Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter or Pokémon. Hey, if Pokémon were real and I had a houndoom, could he carry my school stuff for me? And if I had a dragonair, I could just ride it around everywhere and not walk.**

* * *

Several threats later, the Dursleys were now scared out of their wits and Cub was legally emancipated. Dudley, that fat boy who looked like a makuhita with all fat instead of muscle, had even peed himself with fear. That may have had something to do with Flare and an enlargement charm so that he was twice his normal size, but that was beside the point. The papers were signed, and Cub was now free from both the Dursleys and the Potters.

Upon another visit to Gringotts and a new vault under the name Harry Pride, all the papers and details were ironed out. Ragnock had streamlined the papers through the Ministry so it only took a week to process instead of a month, and Cub had made such a good impression that he was now recognized as a friend of the goblins. This turned out to be a very informative and useful alliance, as more details on Cub's authenticity as the real vanquisher of Voldewart were made known. The goblins also informed him about a ritual that could be used to remove the Horcrux in his scar, which would be much easier than killing him and hope he miraculously came back to life.

Several purchases later, Cub was also the proud owner of a self-refilling bag of money linked directly to his vault equipped with anti-theft and summoning charms, as well as several dragonhide outfits (Draca was horrified until informed that dragonhide outfits were only made from mercy killings). He'd also bought a trunk with seven magical compartments that could hold anything and stay the same weight.

However, since it was now time for dinner, we all headed back to the Leaky Cauldron for dinner. After ordering a delicious meal from Tom, we then headed upstairs to sleep. Cub resized us to our normal forms, and we all crashed on the bed in one giant heap of scales and fur.

* * *

"So, what are we going to do in the three months before school starts?" Draca asked one day, as we all relaxing in our normal sizes. Cub was in his ninetales form, and flashed a toothy grin.

"Oh, that's easy. First off, we'll be doing some research on this Voldemort guy. Maybe he's been hiding Horcruxes in his old hunting grounds, so to speak. Places with sentimental value. Now, tomorrow we'll track down a library."

Collective groans were heard. Even though we'd all been taught to read, combing through stacks of books for information on the latest Dark Lord was not our idea of the ideal way to spend our summer.

* * *

A couple months later, Cub had gotten his Hogwarts letter and was celebrating his birthday. Our moods were, however, slightly tainted by the fact that everyone was talking about the birthday of the Boy Who Lived and all that. But Cub just ignored all the chatter and focused on having a good time, indulging in little things like a fancier ice cream sundae than usual or allowing himself to buy a few extra treats. He even bought a messenger owl, an unusually intelligent snowy white one that he named Hedwig.

After lunch, we then went to get Cub's school stuff. Unfortunately, after we'd spent the rest of the afternoon doing that, we had an unpleasant surprise upon re-entering the Leaky Cauldron.

A man with mousey brown hair with grey streaks in it and stress lines that made him look older than he really was sat at a table. He was talking with a man with shaggy black hair and happy blue eyes, and the black-haired man seemed to be trying to cheer up his companion.

When Cub saw them, though, he stiffened and pointedly avoided looking at them. However, their table was right next to the stairs, and we'd have to pass it to get to our room.

"Come on, Moony, don't be such a downer. This is a happy day! Chris' birthday, remember? Why'd you leave in the middle of the party, mate?" asked the black-haired man. Moony sighed and glared at him, then rubbed the bridge of his nose tiredly.

"I know, I know, but still, you can't deny that the kid's a spoiled brat, Sirius! I mean, he got the newest broom, all the cake he could eat, and just about every toy a kid could possibly want! Now tell me that isn't spoiled," he huffed.

"Moony, it's his birthday, he's allowed to be spoiled for just one day…"

"But that's just it! He's spoiled all the time! If he doesn't get what he wants, he throws a tantrum, and then Lily and James just hand whatever it is over! That's not a good attitude! I mean, compared to Harry-"

"Remus, don't tell me this is another one of your Harry guilt-trips again! Harry is fine and at the Dursleys, I'm sure they'll be throwing him his own party today. Besides, you didn't have a choice. Harry had to leave because otherwise he would have gotten jealous of Chris, and that would have caused way too many unneccessary problems."

"No, Sirius, that's just it! He wouldn't have! Harry was nice, and polite, and quiet… everything Chris isn't. God, Sirius, he's my godson and I'm worried about him! Don't you think there's a reason why James never let me go check on him? Maybe the Dursleys _haven't_ had a change of heart after all, and they're still horrible! If they are, then I've failed Harry so, so badly…"

Cub was rooted to the spot, only several yards away from the table. I could hear his heartbeat going like crazy, and his breathing began to quicken. He was so shocked by what he'd heard that it was a minute later when he finally began to move as if in a daze towards the stairs.

"Cub, are you alright? Is that really your godfather?" Glider asked from inside the hood. Cub nodded, almost imperceptibly.

Abruptly, Moony stood up and left the table, looking very angry. As he strode towards the door he accidentally bumped Cub's shoulder, knocking the hood back a little. The boy hastily pulled it back up, but not before Moony caught a glimpse of his face.

"Hey, wait! Are you-?" Moony turned back and grabbed Cub's shoulder, a mixture of hope and surprise on his face. The kid stiffened and hastily applied a wandless glamour charm, hiding the scar and subtly altering his features to look more like Koga and Aya than like James Potter. Then he turned to face Moony.

"Yes? Can I help you with something, sir?" he replied politely.

"N-no... sorry, I just thought you were somebody I knew. Sorry 'bout that." Then he turned away and left the pub, his friend hurriedly following behind.

"Hey, Cub, are you okay?" Draca inquired once we made it back to our room. Cub had resized us all again, and was now lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Y'know, his name's not really Moony, though. It's Remus. And, well... he was actually pretty nice. I think he was the only one who didn't forget about me, or treat Chris like he was a little angel... in the end, he was the only one who even remembered that my birthday's on the same day as Chris', and brought me a present every year..." Cub drifted off into memories, his voice dwindling into nothing.

Slightly worried about this, since our Cub was by no means a quiet person, I nudged his arm gently.

"Hey," I asked. "Why don't you try out the wand? Y'know, get used to it before school starts. I'm guessing that wandless magic is really different from using a wand, right?"

* * *

Several spells later, we were all very thankful for the privacy and silencing wards around the room. As it turned out, since wandless magic was much more difficult but more powerful than wand magic, every spell Cub used with a wand was majorly amplified.

For example, instead of levitating the dresser, he levitated every piece of furniture in the room. Instead of transfiguring just the pillow into a pencil, he transfigured the entire bed as well. When he tried to create a small waterspout, he caused the entire room to flood in a newly formed lake over three feet deep.

Once the room had been repaired, wandlessly this time, Cub set to work practicing with his new wand.

"Wow, at least now I know why wizards have gotten weaker over time. Without wands, they're useless, and with wands, their magic is infinitely weaker. If Merlin and Morgana had only let me use a wand, I definitely wouldn't be as strong as I am," he muttered.

The next week was spent practicing, and it took a few more demolished pieces of furniture (including that annoying mirror- I was so tempted to just thunderbolt that thing to pieces until Cub "accidentally" hit it with a blasting curse) before Cub really got the hang of it.

Two weeks later, we had finished our research on Voldemart- sorry, _Voldemort_ -and were brainstorming places where he could have hidden his horcruxes. By the time September First rolled around, we had compiled a list of several locations, including Hogwarts and Gringotts. All that was left to do would be to find and destroy them. On the destroying them bit, though... well, we were working on that.

Through the questioning of Tom the bartender, we learned that the way to get onto Platform Nine and Three-Quarters was to walk through a wall. Interesting. But wouldn't that be rather obvious? I mean, it's not everyday you see somebody just waltz through a solid brick wall. You'd think that wizards would have found a better way that wouldn't get noticed as easily, but then again, if they were smart, it would have been easier to make the Hogwarts letter a portkey directly to the platform.

Methods of entering the platform aside, Cub was smart and left early in the morning before the crush. Since by the time we got there it was only seven AM, there was no ticket inspector. However, that was easily solved by Cub slipping into a nearby alley and casting an invisibility spell. Maneuvering through the relatively empty station was easy enough, since his trunk was shrunken down in his pocket and Hedwig had flown ahead.

The Hogwarts Express was completely devoid of life, since even the conductor hadn't yet arrived. So it was easy to get a compartment next to a doorway where we could exit quickly if needed. After that, Cub just sat back and took a nap.

When he woke up, it was already eleven o'clock and the doors were slamming shut all the way down the train. The sounds of chatter and various animal sounds drifted through the doors, and when we looked out the window the platform was completely packed with families.

"Excuse me, but everywhere else is full, so could we sit here?"

Cub looked up as the compartment door opened and a bushy-haired girl with a slightly pudgy boy stood at the entrance.

"Yeah, sure," he replied. The girl smiled and thanked him, showing off slightly oversized front teeth. I couldn't help but be reminded of a bidoof, especially with her bushy hair. Once the two were settled in, and boy suddenly checked his pockets and cried "Oh no! I've lost Trevor again!"

"Who's Trevor?" Cub asked. Turns out that Trevor was the boy's toad, which he'd gotten as a gift from his uncle.

"Oh, that's alright, then. Here, look at this- accio Trevor!" Cub took out his new wand and used the summoning spell, being very careful not to use too much power and accidentally summon every toad on the train.

With that little display, the three soon became fast friends. Hermione Granger, the bushy-haired girl, was extremely intelligent and was delighted to find somebody who could keep up with her fast-paced chatter. Neville Longbottom, the pudgy boy, was under confident and needed somebody who could boost his ego. Cub just introduced himself as Harry, without a surname. When they asked, he just smirked and said they would find out at the Sorting.

The three passed the train ride happily, sharing sweets with Hermione when the trolley came and introducing her to more of the magical world. Since she came from a family on non-magicals, the pair helped her learn more about the new world she'd just stepped into. Neville in particular warned her about the pureblood bigotry that ran rampant in Britain, being a pureblood himself.

The only two things really worth mentioning were the incidents with Chris Potter and his groupies and the run-in with Draco Malfoy and his cronies. Chris had apparently turned Hermione down when she asked to sit in his compartment, which still had an empty space. He rudely told her no, and she was just an ignorant muggleborn. Of course, this incensed Cub so much that he instantly got out and returned a few minutes later with Chris, who was being dragged along by the ear.

"Apologize to Hermione," he said firmly. Chris shook his head no. Cub glared at his former brother and narrowed his eyes, allowing them to glow emerald green through the glamour he still had on and flash dangerously. The wimpy kid gulped and hastily apologized, promising the never insult her again. Then he was released and ran back down the corridor, slamming his door so hard it echoed through the train. Hermione was touched by this, and Neville was amazed at how efficiently Cub had handled the Boy Who Lived. And that was the end of both of their hero worship of Christopher Potter.

The Malfoy incident was handled efficiently as well, and not without some entertainment for us. The blonde boy and his goons had apparently heard of the way Cub had handled Chris (the news had spread like wildfire across the train) and wanted to see exactly who he was. Once it had been made clear that he was a bigoted pureblood idiot, however, Cub let us have a little fun and drive him out at the same time.

"Your name's Draco, right? Dragon in latin? Well, meet my little friend here. Her name's Draca, which a bit more feminine in my opinion. She's a wingless dragon, see?" he said, pulling up his sleeve where Draca was coiled like a fancy arm band. "And on my other arm is Flare. I'd watch out if I were you, because he's very poisonous," he said again, pulling up the other sleeve. The bondie, who had been very interested in Draca, suddenly backed away at the hissing snake that looked to him like an unusually colored king cobra.

"Wh-what are those things?" he cried fearfully. A subtle flick of Cub's hand and the compartment door was locked behind them, leaving no way out.

"Oh, they're just my little friends, see? Now, here are the other four. That's Thunder, that's Glider, that's Spike, and that's Devil. Now, if you don't want to get seriously hurt, I'd advise you leave now. Devil in particular is named that for a reason."

Cub flicked his hand again and the door unlocked and slid open, spilling the boys out into the hall. Then it closed again, seemingly on its own.

The Pride lowered their hackles, and I allowed the sparks in my fur to dissipate harmlessly. "Well, that was fun," I said. Devil agreed, though Spike was a bit disappointed he didn't get to use any attacks.

By the end time the train pulled in at the station, the three were practically inseparable. The Pride was once again hidden in Cub's robes, and Hermione had instantly bombarded Cub with questions about us once Malfoy and his goons had left. Neville had even gotten over his initial fear and spent a long time stroking me, which actually felt really good. He later confided in us that his grandmother used to own a cat, which had died of old age. He also said that I reminded him of one, which we agreed with.

Overall, the start of the year was going splendidly. Cub had gotten two new friends, and even been able to show up his brother and that Malfoy.

Yup, a good start.


	6. Hogwarts

**Huge thanks to Moon (Guest) and ultima-owner for reviewing! Please let me know if my writing's been getting better or worse, whether through a PM or a review! Thanks!**

**Sorry it's shorter than usual, but the Sorting Song took up a lot of space and I wanted the chapters to all be roughly the same amount of pages on Google Docs.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does, etc.**

* * *

The ride across the lake was... entertaining, to say the least. Most of the other kids avoided Cub fearfully after the incident with Malfoy had spread across the train, and whispers about Cub's interesting "pets" abounded. Cub, however, just brushed off anyone who asked by replying, "They're custom-made magical figurines. They look, act, and virtually are alive. You probably won't see anything like them anywhere else." Even when Hagrid said "No more'n four to a boat!" Hermione and Neville were the only ones that clambered in with Cub.

Of course, Malfoy quickly got over his fear and teased Neville about being a "blood-traitor" or whatever for hanging out with Hermione and Cub. We retaliated by allowing Spike to use psychic to tip over Malfoy's boat. Hagrid could never figure out who did it, since Spike hid under Cub's cloak. The sight of Malfoy and his goons dripping wet was hilarious, though. Malfoy looked like a drowned linoone that took a swim in pure bleach, while his two cronies had the appearance of hairy machops caught out in a rainstorm.

The sight of the castle with all its twinkling lights at night was, in a word, spectacular. Even Cub had to admit he was impressed. He gaped at it the entire time from when we got into the boat to when we were crossing the lake. We were so busy staring that Cub forgot to duck and got whacked in the face with a vine once we passed through the tunnel. Ach, even with all his ninja training, he can still be so clumsy sometimes.

_(Hey! I heard that!)_

Ya gotta admit, it's true. Anyway, once the boats hit shore, Cub disembarked first before helping Hermione and Neville out. Trevor did try to make a break for it when his owner stumbled on the slick banks, but was grabbed by one leg before he could escape into the lake.

Hagrid walked up the stone steps and knocked on the door with one huge fist. A second later it opened and revealed a stern-looking woman in emerald-green robes with black hair done up in a tight bun.

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here," she replied.

Pulling the door open, she gestured for the students to follow before leading us to a small chamber that was probably a waiting room before the Sorting. Everyone stuck together in a large huddle, whispering either nervously or excitedly.

"Hey, Thunder. Look at Draco," Devil whispered to me. I looked over and saw where the blonde was being fussed over by a pug-faced girl, looking very annoyed. I snorted and grinned slightly, wondering about whether or not I should give the two a little shock.

The woman, Professor McGonagall, opened her mouth and began explaining the Houses. Cub tuned her out in favor of talking to us.

"When do you think I should take the glamor off? When she calls my name?" he asked.

"Yeah, do it then. No, actually, walk forward first so everyone can see and recognize you, then take it off. Maximum effect that way," Glider replied. The bandanna that Cub was still wearing mostly hid him, so it appeared as if a voice was coming from the top of Cub's head.

Once the Professor was done explaining she left the chamber, with a parting comment about smartening themselves up. Hushed whispers broke out almost instantly, most of them about the Sorting.

"Oh, do you think it's going to be a test? I looked up all these spells, like the jelly legs jinx and the one that paralyzes you and-" Hermione looked like she was about to start hyperventilating.

"Hermione, _relax_. It's not painful at all, really. It's actually quite simple," Cub reassured her. She did look slightly better, but not by much.

Suddenly, a few shrieks rang out and every jumped a foot in the air as numerous pearly white ghosts glided through the walls. Cub was unfazed, since after his many explorations of the Old Chateau in Eterna Forest, he was used to ghost Pokémon popping up to try to scare him. Compared to them, these ghosts were extremely tame.

A smaller fat monk one seemed to be arguing with a ghost in an old-fashioned ruff and tights seemed to be arguing about somebody named Peeves, whoever he was. The one in tights suddenly broke off and gazed around the students in mock surprise, saying, "I say, what are you all doing here?"

Cub snorted quietly. From his conversations with the various shopkeepers in Diagon Alley who had all gone to Hogwarts, the ghosts did this every year. It was rather funny to see all the students look so freaked out, though. But really, they were nothing compared to ghastly and haunter.

One of the ghosts, the one that looked like a monk, beamed at the kids. "New students! About to be Sorted, I suppose?"

A few people nodded mutely, with expressions of surprise on their faces. Hermione was muttering facts about the Hogwarts ghosts under her breath, trying not to panic too much.

"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff! My old house, you know," said the Friar happily. Then McGonagall returned and told the first years to follow her, leading us out into the Great Hall.

It was even better than we had imagined, with the ceiling spelled to look like the sky outside and thousands of floating candles creating the illumination. The four house tables were laid with golden cutlery and plates, and I wondered if they were actually pure gold.

A stool with the Sorting Hat was placed in front of the first years, and behind us Neville gulped nervously. Then a rip at the brim twitched, opened, and the Sorting Hat began to sing.

"_Oh, you may not think I'm pretty, _

_But don't judge on what you see, _

_I'll eat myself if you can find_

_A smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black,_

_Your top hats sleek and tall,_

_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_And I can cap them all._

_There's nothing hidden in your head_

_The Sorting Hat can't see,_

_So try me on and I will tell you_

_Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,_

_Where dwell the brave at heart,_

_Their daring, nerve, and chivalry_

_Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_

_Where they are just and loyal,_

_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true and unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_

_If you've a ready mind,_

_Where those of wit and learning,_

_Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin_

_You'll make your really friends,_

_Those cunning folk use any means_

_To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

_And don't get in a flap!_

_You're in safe hands (though I have none)_

_For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

* * *

Cub waited patiently until at last McGonagall finally got to the Ps, and I could feel him tense up as his name approached. Nervousness rolled off in waves, and his fear-scent was now very obvious.

Finally, "Christopher, Potter!" was called, and the arrogant boy practically strutted up to the stool. After a few minutes of deliberation he was sent to Gryffindor, joining Neville and Hermione at the table. At the staff table, James and Lily Potter along with Sirius Black and Remus Lupin clapped excitedly, though Remus did look a bit sad. Then-

McGonagall opened her mouth, then gazed at the list as if it was deceiving her. Another second of deliberation and she finally called out "Potter, Harry!" in only a slightly shaking voice.

Gasps and whispers broke out across the hall, and Cub's two friends eyes were wider than the dinner plates.

"Harry Potter? But isn't he dead? The Prophet said he disappeared years ago, was never found..."

"No, that can't be right! He's dead, ain't he?"

Cub grinned slightly and ambled forward, waiting until he was just in front of the stool before dropping the glamor. Suddenly his resemblance to James Potter was evident, and there was no longer any doubt about his identity. Plopping onto the stool, Cub set the hat on his head after gently removing Glider.

After a minute of deliberation, the hat finally called out "RAVENCLAW!" to the surprise of most. I hissed and shook my head, having been right next to it when it called out. Sometimes there were downsides to having sensitive hearing.

Making his way to the table decorated in blue and bronze, Cub took a quick glance at the staff table while replacing Glider on his head. His former parents (he'd renounced them long ago) were gaping at him, and, along with Sirius Black, were doing excellent fish impressions. Cub's godfather was staring with a mixture of disbelief and hope on his face, slack-jawed in amazement.

A few minutes later Dumbledore had said some nonsense words that were apparently a trigger for the food to appear, judging by the way the feast appeared out of thin air at the tables when he was done. The delicious scents suddenly reminded me that I hadn't eaten since this morning, since eating on the train might have aroused suspicion in that normal magical figurines didn't need to eat. However, since Cub had apparently decided that he could make up some excuse for it, he thought it would be fine to take off his cloak and offer me a piece of steak. I eagerly accepted it, letting out a purr of contentment. It seemed that my appetite matched my size now, since that one bit was enough to make me feel like I'd eaten an entire bowl.

Devil, seeing this, barked in Cub's ear, saying "I want one too!" Pretty soon, all six of us were on the table, stealing bits of Cub's dinner. This, of course, good quite a few odd looks from just about everyone else in the hall. I could tell that Cub was starting to get tired of it, and the way everybody seemed to avoid him, until finally he put his fork down and asked irritably, "Alright, what is it? Everyone's acting like I have the plague or something. Seriously, I'm not going to bite your hand off."

Less than ten minutes later, the Pride was being passed around the table and examined by just about everybody. I sighed and flattened my ears, twitching my tail irritably as I was passed from one hand to another. If this was how it was going to be for the rest of the evening, then this was going to be a looong feast...


	7. Family Reunion, Sort Of, Not Really

**Sorry if this chapter seems rushed, but I'm writing it late at night and trying to get it posted before my once-a-week deadline! Hope I did well with the "Family Reunion" thing. Meeting with Remus next chapter, sorry to those of you who wanted it in this one! And everyone give HUGE thank yous to mattcun, Ddragon21, werewolfgirl11, Kyrianae Narii, Gir240, ultima-owner, and twilightserius for reviewing!****  
**

**To twilightserius: Oh shoot, I completely forgot about that! Um... just pretend that Remus was too distracted to notice, okay? And Harry's scent was masked by the crowded room and the scent of the Pride. Ehehe... whoops...**

**Disclaimer: See previous chapters.**

* * *

The inevitable summons to Dumbledork's (sorry, Dumble_dore's_) office came during breakfast the next day, along with the class schedules. Cub just sighed at how wizards still used parchment rather than paper and pocketed the note, then went back to his blackberries.

Most of his house were still rather wary of him, so he was stared at and whispered about for the entire time. However, Cub determinedly ignored everything and continued eating. The Pride, meanwhile, had been allowed on the table under the condition that we wouldn't cause any trouble. Soon Flare had acquired a taste for strawberry jam, and Glider munched on a piece of buttered toast.

After breakfast, Cub got out of the table and exited the hall, pulling out the note with directions to the Headmaster's office. Interestingly enough, not five minutes later I heard and smelt Chris Potter going in the same direction. I supposed that since this meeting was probably to talk about where Cub had been for the past five years, it was logical that his old family would be invited.

"Let's see... the password is... Blood Pops? What kind of name is that? Seriously, these wizards are crazy. Blood pops..." he muttered, ascending the staircase that appeared behind the gargoyle. We all heard the other boy hurry and get on too, since he was pounding the ground harder than a rampaging donphan. And this wasn't even when he was stomping. Talk about puppy fat.

A minute later, Cub was standing in front of eight different people all crammed into Dumbledore's office. It was, in a word, squished. As I poked my head out and looked around, I saw that the people there were Remus, Sirius, James, Lily, Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, and Chris, who pushed past him to stand by his parents. Once everyone was inside, Dumbledore cleared his throat and adopted what he must have hoped was a grandfatherly smile.

"Hello, Harry. My, you've certainly grown. Oh, the last time I saw you was years ago. Lemon drop, my boy?"

To this Cub just raised an eyebrow and drawled, "No offense, _sir,_ but you've probably laced those candies with potions or spells. And call me your boy, because I'm certainly not. Well? What're they here for? You're the one who wanted to speak to me, right?"

In response, James' face colored and he frowned. "Don't talk to Professor Dumbledore that way, young man. Show him some respect!"

Cub snorted. "I'll show him respect once he earns it, and no sooner. And so far, he's not exactly doing a great job. I could smell fake written all over him from a mile away in a rainstorm."

Several gasps were heard. The old man looked unfazed, though his eyes had now narrowed slightly. "Now, now, Harry," he chided. "There's no need to go around making accusations like that. Now, before we digress into an argument about whether or not I am a fake, let's get back to business. To put it simply, Harry, we are all wanting the answer to the same question. Where have you been for the past five years?"

Most of the expressions in the room were those of curiosity and eagerness, though Chris looked slightly put out that Cub was getting more attention than he was. The only one who looked sad, however, was Remus. Now, _him_ I liked, simply because he genuinely regretted his actions and wanted what was best for our boy, but everyone else... they could go to the mightyena for all I cared. Cub seemed to notice this too and flashed him a crooked grin. Then he turned his attention back to old man long beard.

"Well, I'm afraid that's rather private. After all, it's none of your business as to where I live. All I'll say is that I'm with friends. And Merlin knows that they've been a better family to me than _you've_ ever been. Well, except for you, Remus. You actually cared, and I'm grateful for that," Cub replied slightly mockingly before taking on softer, more reassuring tones. The werewolf (I could smell the wolf inside, though now it was suppressed under his human scent) smiled slightly at this. Everyone else, barring Dumbledore, just looked indignant.

"What do mean by that? We are your family, boy! And we did everything we could for you. We fed you, clothed you, put a roof over your head-" James Potter was on a roll now, in a full blown rant complete with bright red face, flying spittle, and wildly gesturing arms.

A second later, he was silenced by the appearance of the Pride. My hackles were up, Flare's hood was open, and Glider had opened his wings to appear larger. Flames were licking around Devil's snarling jaws, sparks of electricity were dancing over my fur, and Spike was glowing with a blue aura. As for Draca, well... let's just say that you _never_ cross an angry mother dragonair. Never ever ever ever ever. Don't even think about it. I don't think I've _ever_ seen her that mad, or that scary looking. And if this was what she looked like when she was only a few inches tall...

"Wha-what are those things? Get them out of here!" Chris shrieked, cowering with fear behind his mother's robes. Professor McGonagall had her wand out and was on her feet, and so did Professor Flitwick.

"What? Oh, that's the Pride. Sorry, they're a bit overprotective of me. They're custom-made magical figurines that I made myself. Unfortunately, the animation spell went a bit wrong, so they're a bit more, ah, lifelike than I intended. And they seem to have adopted me in some way. Thunder even tried to groom my hair once," he chuckled. I felt my fur heat up. That particular incident had been kind of embarrassing.

"Custom-made magical figurines? Did you really make them yourself? Oh, that's a very tricky piece of spellwork, Mr. Potter! How did you do it? Where did you-" Professor Flitwick was practically in hysterics, babbling about all the different animation charms that went into actual magical figurines and lavishing buckets of praise on Cub for his excellent charmswork. The poor boy now looked decidedly uncomfortable. Even after years of being away from the Dursleys, he still didn't do well with praise from anyone, really.

"Alright guys, it's okay! Devil, stop growling. Thunder, lower your hackles. Flare, close the hood. Glider, stop flapping your wings like that. Spike, you can dispel the aura now. Draca, I'm fine, you don't need to look so murderous," Cub told us. I hesitated before lowering my hackles, smoothing down my fur as Flare hissed and retreated back under Cub's sleeve. Draca grumbled but complied, and Glider bit the air one more time before settling back down under Cub's bandanna.

"Well, Mr. Potter, I'll admit that was some skillful magic, especially the transfiguration. But, I must ask. How did you manage to do the animation and transfiguration spells so early? The quality of these creatures is far above and beyond anything a first year could do," she said sternly, pocketing her wand now that the Pride had disappeared back into Cub's robe.

"Well, that's obvious, isn't it?" piped up Chris. All heads suddenly turned to him. "He didn't do it at all. He's just trying to steal the glory from whoever actually made them."

Cub snorted at this. "Seriously?" he asked. "You're accusing me of stealing somebody else's work? And taking credit for it? Clearly you don't know me. Besides, what wizard would have the imagination to think up creatures like these? They're unique to me, I'll have you know," Cub replied. "And if you ask any craftsmen about the Pride, they won't have a clue as to what you're talking about. I made them myself, and did _not_ take anyone else's work!"

Flare poked his head out and hissed again. Chris squealed and hid back behind Lily. Stealing somebody else's work had always been a sore spot for Cub, ever since Dudley constantly copied his homework in school and claimed that it was Cub copying his.

"Well, since we can only take your word for it, and you seem like a truthful, if mysterious young man," here Professor McGonagall's eyes sharpened until they were hard and steely. "I'll give you ten points to Ravenclaw for outstanding spellwork. I'll admit, they are quite amazing. The blue snake-like one is especially beautiful."

Sirius sputtered with indignation. "Bu-but Professor, those things are dangerous! Besides, he obviously couldn't have done it himself, since he's only a first year! Heck, even I don't know how to do that kind of magic! Why are you giving him points for lying?"

Before an argument could break out, Dumbledore cleared his throat and steepled his fingers on his desk. "I'm afraid that we've gone severely off topic, and I'm sure Mr. Potter would like to get to class eventually. Now, back to the point. Where have you been staying, Harry?"

A second later, Cub's eyes narrowed and Dumbledore reeled back in his seat, his expression one of complete and utter shock.

"Using legilimency on unsuspecting students without their consent or prior knowledge is highly illegal, _Professor,_" he spat angrily. "You could be arrested for that. If I hadn't gotten shields up, you would have read my mind like an open book! I believe that counts as a _severe_ invasion of my privacy."

Once again the Pride came to Cub's defense, and I actually got as far as the edge of the old coot's desk before Cub calmed down and called us back. Then he turned and exited the office, calling over his shoulder, "The next time you want to speak with me, try asking nicely!"

However, old man idiot's parting comment was anything but nice.

"Harry," he called. "No matter what your opinion of me, the Potters are still your family, and I'd appreciate it if you could get to know them a bit more. I'll set up some meetings so you can all bond. Now, isn't that nice?"

At this, Cub finally snapped and set us loose. Ever since he'd walked into the office his temper had been slowly but surely wearing thin, especially since he couldn't stand it when adults attempted to deceive him in any way. Next, add in the facts, as he told us later, that the danger senses of all three of his animagus forms were blaring like crazy and he'd pretty much been on edge the entire time. Then think about how he still resented the Potters and absolutely loathed Chris, and you have a very ticked off and powerful master of wandless magic wizard. With a pack of angry pokemon at his disposal.

Now in our normal sizes, the Pride burst through the doors to the office and proceeded to wreak utter havoc. Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, and Lupin (yes, they thought it would be a good idea to have a werewolf as a teacher. Dumbledork's an idiot, isn't he? Not that I have anything against Remus, but still...) were spared, since they were fairly decent people. The Potters, Sirius, and Dumbodore, however, were mildly burned by Devil, soaked by Draca, bitten with both Ice Fang (from me) and Bite (from Flare), and had several nasty bruises from Spike once we were done. Oh, and Glider flew around tearing chunks of hair out. After they were all immobilized with Psychic, we then proceeded to trash the office. Fawkes, who actually had some sense, was smart enough to make himself scarce the moment we burst in.

Once the aftermath died down, we hurried back to Cub, who shrank us back into our mini forms. A minute later Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, and Lupin stumbled into the corridor, looking at Cub, who was leaning against the wall doing breathing exercises. Awkward silence fell for a moment.

"Well... I don't believe I've ever seen anything like that in my life. How did they _do_ that?" Professor Flitwick said breathlessly. Cub chuckled weakly and took me off his shoulder, offering me to the diminutive professor. "Yeah, that's a trade secret. But if you really want you can look him over. They've all got powers over different elements. Thunder, as you can guess by his name, controls electricity. However, he can also infuse his bite with fire and ice. It's... complicated to explain," he said.

"Mr. Potter... I don't even know what to say. If you've gone enough power and ability to cast the type of spells it must have taken to make these, why are you even here? I do believe you're far beyond the first year, and possibly even the seventh year, curriculum already."

Cub just laughed and shook his head. "Oh, I'm not that good. Besides, I still need to learn Herbology and Potions. Where I was, there weren't any magical plants of the sort we have here, and there weren't any potions ingredients. Other than that, I also want to see what it's like taking magical classes with kids my own age. So mainly it's for the experience," he replied.

"Well, I don't think Professor McGonagall's estimation is that far off, actually. You're extremely advanced for your age," Professor Lupin said softly. Cub smiled at him, then paused.

"Professor Lupin, if it's alright with you... could we meet after classes today? I need to ask you a few things," he asked. The man smiled sadly and nodded. Just then, the doors opened and students began pouring into the halls. It seemed as if we'd missed the first period class. And as if right on cue, everyone else chose that moment to stumble out of the stairwell and right into the middle of the corridor- where everyone could see them.

The rumors about how exactly they'd gotten so beat up circulated the school for weeks before dying down.


	8. Forest Meetings

**Okay, um, before you all blow up at me for being so late, all I can say is that real life made itself known by bashing me over the head and dragging me away. So that's why I've been so ridiculously busy lately and missed my update time. SORRY! I don't know if a lot of you are still out there, but for those of you who haven't left, THANK YOU for sticking with me! This chapter is a bit longer as a consolation gift!**

**HUGE THANK YOUS to Akatsuki's Neko Stalker, Gir240, Saria19, ultima-owner, Silver Heart11DOOM, Firehedgehog, Kyrianae Narii, Aurora Lopez, Azzie Daughter Of Posideon, The Female Jiraiya, and Jamesk19 for reviewing!**

**To Akatsuki's Neko Stalker: Whoa, I did not know that about houndoom's fire. Um, for the sake of this fic, and so I won't feel to mean, that little bit of trivia will not apply to this story. And just out of curiosity, where did you learn that? I've never heard of it, and houndoom is one of my favorite pokemon.**

**To Saria19: That excellent suggestion will show up in the next chapter... hehe...**

**To Kyrianae Narii: Hope you recover your password soon! To the first question, a couple other teachers filled in for them since they had the foresight to leave lesson plans (Madam Hooch, other teachers with free periods, etc) and to the second, does this response count? And thank you for that, I like writing in this POV because it's fun. Now, here's a fun fact about my writing style: I prefer writing from 1st person POV, but I have trouble doing it with an established character. Therefore, I usually use an OC. (For those of you who are reading my other story, Honor Among Thieves, I know that I'm saying now is contradicting that. However, my reasons are that Shadow's life was changed by his living on the streets with Dark and Vaati enough so that he acts more like an OC than the Shadow Link from the manga.) And I've always liked luxray, so why not? Then I thought about adding in my other favorite pokemon, and well, it snowballed from there and the Pride was formed. **

**Yeah, looking back, I though the blowup was a little sudden as well, but my excuse is that it was very late at night and I was tired when I wrote that. If I could rewrite it I would have Harry have better self-control, but for the moment just pretend that he was irritated and annoyed. Besides, however awesome he may be, remember that the kid's only eleven. **

**For the next bit of your awesomely long review (I love long reviews! Just saying.) I will say this: I did not intend for it to turn out that way. Using the same excuse as last time, I was tired and don't really remember what I wrote. What I meant was that Chris was a bit chubby, but not overly fat. Thunder was just exaggerating a lot and poking fun at him because the Pride doesn't like Chris, but I agree that Lily and James wouldn't let him get fat to Dudley proportions. That's just ridiculous. I apologize for making it seem that way. Actually, now that I think about it, I probably dislike Chapter 7 the least so far, because of all my mistakes and horrible writing quality...**

**Lastly, my only real pet-peeve is this: I hate it when chapters are horribly written, with no grammar and spelling whatsoever, are are delivered in one huge block of a paragraph. It's incredibly annoying and it hurts my eyes. I mean, there's a grammar/spell-check RIGHT THERE on Doc Manager! And when you spell the names of places or people wrong like "Number Four Private Drive" or "Ron Weasly" or something like that. Okay, rant over.**

**To The Female Jiraiya: Thank you for the compliments! As I said before, I can really only write from an OC POV, thus the reason I created Thunder. What you said really means a lot to me! And I'll try to make fewer spelling mistakes in the future. Guess the spell-check doesn't catch everything.**

**Now, on with the chapter! Here, Harry begins to gather his allies.**

* * *

The first week went pretty well. Cub did his best to act the part of the perfect Ravenclaw, attempting to live up to the stereotype as much as possible. This wasn't completely possible, of course, due to his status as the BWL's long-lost brother and all that. I'm guessing the Pride had something to do with it too. We almost never left his side, riding on various places on his robes or on his head during classes. Occasionally one of us would leave to explore the castle or something like that, but we'd always come back either by the next class or the next mealtime.

The only class that was probably worth any note was Potions. It was clear from the start that the professor, Severus Snape, had some sort of grudge against Cub and exploited that as much as possible. His blatant favoritism of other students was obvious, and he took points from Cub for every single little thing that went wrong. Even when it wasn't even remotely Cub's fault.

By the time the lesson ended, Cub was utilizing his ninja breathing techniques to stay calm and resist the urge to rip the potions master apart. Now, that may have sounded a bit gruesome, but sometimes Cub's panther tendencies will surface in his human form.

"Well, that went well," I muttered from his shoulder. Devil agreed.

"That guy clearly has a grudge against Cub, but I'm not sure why," he said. Cub, who had overheard our conversation, broke in.

"It's because I look so much like James Potter. Apparently the two absolutely hate each other for whatever reason. Therefore, since I'm his son, he hates me as well."

Spike snorted. "That's a stupid reason. Besides, you're _nothing_ like that idiotic excuse for a human."

Cub smiled slightly. "Thanks guys."

* * *

Soon life had fallen into a routine. Classes, homework, explore the castle for one of Voldewart's horcruxes, which Cub was almost certain was in Hogwarts, and train. Training took place in the Forbidden Forest, within a small clearing that we'd found. It was pretty deep in, much farther than Hagrid ever went, and so was perfect for our training. In this way Cub kept his swordsmanship skills sharp, and reflexes honed, and didn't lose any of the muscle that he'd built up over the past couple years.

He also practiced with this animagus forms, testing what he could do as a ninetails by battling with us and exploring as a panther. He practiced dodging obstacles and flying quickly through the forest as a phoenix, oftentimes joined by Glider. He would always resize the Pride to our regular sizes when we got to that clearing, and soon it became our safe haven. Within the month Cub had even started slipping away to do his homework there- when he wasn't in the library with his friends Hermione and Neville, of course.

However, one night as he stalked a rabbit through the woods as a panther, with the Pride beside him, Devil caught a whiff of something very unusual.

"Cub," he growled. "you haven't by any chance met any other panthers in these woods, have you?"

Cub shook his head and straightened up from his hunting crouch, casting his gaze from side to side. "No, why?"

Just then, a breeze ruffled the leaves and I could scent it too. "Because there's another panther over here, and from its scent it is most definitely larger than you. Adult male, healthy, and-"

"Smells like herbs and... potions, of all things. You don't think-?"

Flare hissed. "I believe that one Mr. Snape seems to be an animagus as well, Cub. And he's coming this way."

Cub's eyes gleamed, flashing in the moonlight. His lightning bolt scar suddenly vanished from his forehead and he grinned wickedly. "Well then, I may as well meet him. I'll admit, I'm curious as to what his form looks like. Don't worry, though, I won't tell him I'm me. I wonder what he's like outside the classroom," he said.

A minute later, a large black panther with onyx eyes and jet-black fur padded out of the bushes. A small white crown-shaped marking was on the middle of his forehead, most likely his distinguishing mark. Since he was probably over twice Cub's age, this meant that he was also twice Cub's size in panther form; about my size.

"Who are you, and how did you get here? Panthers are not native to this area, and to my knowledge, I am the only one in this forest," growled the potions master. Cub merely cocked his head to the side and blinked innocently. If he was human he would have been smirking.

"I could say the same to you, you know. As for me, well, I've only come here quite recently. How did you get here? As you said, our race is not native to this area," he replied.

The larger panther snorted. "Impudent youngster! The answer to that question is my own business. But how did you get here? I've never seen you around before, though I have occasionally caught your scent. And where did your companions come from?"

"Well, to copy your words, the answer to that question is my own business. To the second question, I believe they live up at the school and occasionally come down to explore the forest. I met them one day and we became friends. I'll admit, they are useful for scaring off some of the larger predators that roam the woods," he replied smoothly. It wasn't technically a lie, just not the entire truth.

"Hey, that's not all we're good for!" I huffed good-naturedly, cuffing his ear lightly. Spike let out a bark of laughter at Cub's indignant look.

"Well, if you won't tell me that, then what's your name?" Snape asked suddenly. Cub considered this for a moment.

"Well," he said after a moment, "I guess you could call me... Shadow. And what can I call you?"

Snape paused. "Prince," he finally answered. "I suppose you may call me Prince."

When we got back to the dorm around midnight, Cub looked thoughtful. "Y'know," he said slowly. "Professor Snape's not actually a bad guy, assuming he doesn't know that your last name happens to be Potter. Maybe I'll see him again in there."

I cocked my head and yawned, too tired at that point. The Pride was now back to our miniature sizes, and I was back to riding on Cub's shoulder. "Yes, perhaps. I don't think that Snape is a bad man, really. I think he's just a bit... secluded. He doesn't do well with other people and being social, he more of a loner. Would explain why his form's a panther, at any rate," I mumbled sleepily. By now we were lying on the bed while Cub got changed into his pjs, and soon we were all fast asleep.

* * *

The same pattern happened every night for the next week. Chris Potter kept getting into trouble with Ron Weasley while Cub searched for the horcrux. Life continued on as normal, barring Cub's meetings with "Prince" in the Forbidden Forest. The two had quickly become friends, hunting together and gathering herbs. Snape actually wasn't bad company, once you got past the snarky and irritable exterior. And his sense of humor was subtle but hilarious. All in all, the Pride approved of him. Plus, he'd be a useful ally to have against Dumbledore.

Cub, for his part, subtly dropped hints every night that he wasn't what he seemed, implying that he knew that Snape wasn't telling him everything as well. I could tell that the older panther was intrigued by this, and would often probe for information. However, there were a few instances where one of us would be about to fall into his verbal trap and give something away, only narrowly avoided by quickly changing the subject or dodging the question. After that, it was clear how Snape had rightfully earned his reputation as an excellent spy. Consequently, we were also a bit more cautious about what we said to him after that.

Honestly, I'm not surprised that it only took him a week to figure out. After all, the man had a mind like razor blade and was used to figuring things out based only off subtle hints and clues. The night he confronted us about it was quite... eventful, however.

It started out as usual. We helped him gather herbs and hunted a bit, snacking on rabbit and mouse. But when the full moon rose and cast its pale light over the forest, the a loud howl broke out from the forest near the Whomping Willow. A second one followed, this one slightly deeper but less... feral sounding. Like a dog versus a wolf.

My head snapped up at the sound and I nearly cursed. How could I have forgotten about Remus' transformation? I knew that usually James Potter and Sirius Black transformed and kept him company as well on full moons, but if Cub ran into them, especially in his more feral panther form...

Well, I don't think that would have gone down very well, to say the least. Add in the fact that the elder Potter takes the form of a stag, which is a prey animal...

"Cub," Devil growled. "I think that's our cue to leave."

Another howl echoed through the woods, this time much closer. One of them must've caught our scent and were coming to investigate.

"Werewolf," Prince growled, rising to his feet. Cub looked unconcerned, lazily licking a morsel of rabbit off his claw. "Shadow, you should leave. I know that werewolf; it's always accompanied by a large dog and a stag. And they're not very receptive to outsiders."

"No, it's alright. I've heard of him as well. As a human he goes by Remus Lupin, correct? And the stag and the dog are James Potter and Sirius Black. Don't worry," Cub said, his eyes suddenly glinting with a mischievous light. "I'll be fine. When it comes to our Pride loyalty, when you mess with one, you mess with all of us."

Just then, the bushes rustled and a large brown stag poked his head through. "Snivellus," he said nastily. I raised an eyebrow. What were we, chopped liver?

A large black dog bounded to the stag's side a second later. Then a magnificent wolf whose fur was mousey brown on top and grey on the bottom stepped into the clearing, just a bit larger than Devil.

"Potter, Black, Lupin. What are doing here? I believed we established that we would leave each other alone on full moons. Although I should have known that you'd go back on you word," he spat angrily, tail swishing from side to side. His black eyes were narrowed into slits, and his claws were unsheathed and kneading the ground.

"Well, it's not as if you're the most honorable person yourself, you know. Besides, we were curious about the new guys," Sirius replied, turning to us. I fought the urge to raise my hackles and allow my mane to flare out. Sparks were already jumping between my fangs as it was, and zapping the Defense teacher for the second time without even being provoked yet probably wouldn't be a very good idea.

"Well, you've seen us, now leave. No offense, but you're not exactly welcome here, if you hadn't noticed. Well, except for the wolf. Moony, was it? You're actually not a bad guy, unlike your companions over there. If you want I can get you a rabbit," Cub mewed, examining his claws nonchalantly. Now that should confirm it for Snape, who suddenly looked as if all the pieces of the puzzle had suddenly come together for him.

"Thank you, ah... I'm sorry, but I don't know your name?" Remus replied politely, dipping his head in respect. Sirius bristled with indignation while James snorted and pawed the ground, tossing his head angrily.

"Shadow, and my friends are Thunder, Devil, Glider, Draca, Flare, and Spike," Cub told him, indicating each one of us with the tip of his tail.

"Hey, what did you mean that we're not welcome? If anything, _you're_ the one who shouldn't be here, _outsider._ Where did you come from, anyway?" the stag retorted angrily, nostrils flaring in annoyance. Prince bristled, and Devil began to breath small spurts of flame from his nose- a clear sign that he was not pleased.

"Oh, believe me, I have more right than either of you to be here. After all, I'm not the one who runs around as a senile old man's puppet, obeying his every whim like a house-elf," Cub drawled lazily. Now he wasn't even _trying_ to hide it.

"Enough," Snape said abruptly, standing up and growling at the two older animagi. "Get it through your thick skulls that you are not welcome here and leave."

The two paused, weighing the odds. Seeing that they were vastly outnumbered and that the Pride clearly didn't want them there, the stag and the dog growled before turning tail and vanishing into the bushes. Lupin gave us an apologetic glance before following. Then Prince turned back to us.

"So," he hissed dangerously. "Mr. Potter. An illegal animagus just like your father, eh? How long have you known who I was?"

Cub yawned. "From the start. It was quite simple, actually. I could smell the herbs and potions on you from a mile away. If I were you'd I'd find something to disguise that scent. It's pretty distinctive. There's also some sort of damp mustiness that pretty much screams UNDERGROUND DUNGEON everything I smell it. But before you start accusing me of things, I didn't befriend you as some sort of sick joke or anything. I wouldn't have said this when we first met, but, as a whole, you're actually not bad company. Besides, you and I both dislike Dumbles and his meddling ways. You'd be a good ally to have, especially if he really believes you're as deep in his pocket as he seems to."

Snape bristled, but considered his words. "You do make a good point, Potter," he conceded grudgingly. "But how do I know you're not like your father? He was a brat, through and through."

Cub snorted. "Oh, that? Just think about that meeting in Dumbo's office. I'm sure Professor McGonagall would be happy to inform you of it. Or you could always ask Professor Flitwick; I hear he thought it quite amusing. Now, I don't know about you, but I am a growing boy who needs my sleep. Goodnight, Professor." With that, the seven of us exited the clearing, leaving behind one very confused Potions Master.


	9. Taking a Day Off

**Sorry this is late, but I'm now busy with school. Consequently, updates will become less frequent. I'm warning you now.  
HUGE THANKS to Akatsuki's Neko Stalker, ultima-owner, Lee Solo Sabu Kurta, Omega VI, Saria 19, Firehedgehog, Kyrianae Narii, Silvermane1, ****Azzie Daughter Of Posideon, ****Psychotic Ralts, getlostD9****1, and kage kitsune 14 for reviewing!**

**To Omega VI: Okay, now I feel like an idiot for not knowing that. And houndoom's one of my favorite pokemon, too. The worst part is, I've actually played Platinum, HeartGold, Black, and White. I also got a houndoom in Platinum and HeartGold. I'm silly. Yes, I could have used Mewtwo, but I don't quite see him sticking with Harry all the time. I think he's more of a wanderer. I also could have used Harry, but I actually like using the POV of a creature that's not human. It's more interesting. The background between Flare's name, since he was not another Pokémon originally, was taken from the way King Cobras flare their hoods out when threatened. So that's just a clarification on his name. I know it sounds silly, but that's what first popped into my mind.**

**To Kyrianae Narii: In no way did that review sound like a flame, don't worry. I actually like it when I'm criticized, because it lets me know what I need to improve on. So keep pointing out flaws, please! It's nice when you clarify that, because I thought you thought that I made Chris fat, not that it was just a peeve of yours. No harm done, so whatever. (I'm more of a forgive and forget kind of person anyway.) I'm making it a bit fast-paced on purpose, because I've read many fics that are really, really amazing but just drag on and on for a really long time. In my opinion, anyway. so even though they were really well written, I just got kind of bored after a while. So that's why I tend to write a bit faster. Plus, I like writing action.  
**

**Thank you for the compliments on Cub/Remus/Snape's relationship! I was trying to make it realistic, so I hope I pulled it off correctly. Yes, I agree that the Pride does seem pretty 2D now that I've looked back at the chapters. So this one has a bit of clarification on their personalities. I've also included some references to events that I may or may not write in a side story that I'm considering. It would be a companion fic to this one, containing various oneshots detailing the adventures of the Pride before Hogwarts. It all depends on what the readers want, so let me know through a review or a PM!**

**To getlostD91: That's a good point, but, I think that with his mastery of wandless magic, I think that would cover animation spells. Plus, I'm pretty sure that Lily had an affinity for Charms, so it would stand to reason that he would be good at those at well. Add in the fact that Cub was researching Voldemort all summer and probably did take a break to read up on more interesting subjects, namely the making of these toys for real, I think he's fully capable of creating another similar toy.**

* * *

The next week passed uneventfully. Cub treaded lightly around his Defense teachers, James Potter and Professor Quirrell. James because he was still out to get him and picked on Cub every chance he got, and Quirrell because he was sure that the man was possessed, possibly by Voldemort. The man practically reeked of garlic and dark magic; I could smell it. He tried to cover it up with the garlic, but as a pokemon my nose was keener than most animals.

Now that it was Saturday and Cub didn't have any homework left, he chosen to spend the day relaxing with his friends in a small clearing at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid had given him permission to go there whenever he wanted, since it was so close to the edge. He also knew about Cub's panther form, so he knew that the boy could take care of himself. I'm also pretty sure that he suspected something about the Pride; but I wasn't positive.

"Harry, just how intelligent are those figurines?" Hermione asked as napped in the sun. Cub paused in his thoughts.

"Actually, that's a good question," he replied thoughtfully. "I'd say they're pretty smart, since they seem to understand everything that I and anyone else say. Plus, they've all got their own personalities and attitudes, that's for sure."

I saw Spike try not to look too offended. He could actually speak human speech, a throwback to his famous ancestor, but revealing this ability out of pride would just be stupid. Still, we were far more intelligent than most of these wizards gave us credit for.

"Personalities? What do you mean? They just seem to hang around you all day, so..." Neville trailed off inquiringly. Cub laughed.

"Oh, believe me, they most definitely have their own personalities. For example, they're all super overprotective of me. Draca is a complete mother-hen, I swear Spike acts sarcastic sometimes, Thunder's a bit like an older brother, Glider's kind of quiet but is smarter than he looks, Flare is aggressive and will eagerly jump into a fight, and Devil is playful but really scary when he gets mad."

Hermione grinned, opening her mouth to fire off a stream of questions. "You know, Harry, I did some research and those animation spells are really, really, hard. You have to have a NEWT in Charms and get an apprenticed to a special animation master to do those. How did you manage it? And how did they get such distinct personalities? I haven't of any animation spell that makes them act so lifelike."

Cub laughed. "Yeah, that's true. In truth, I drew up a picture of what I wanted them to look like and then had a friend of mine make the actual figurines. The animation spell was a result of accidental magic, which is why they're so lifelike. I just said that I made them because my friend says that he wants to stay anonymous for now," he replied.

"Wow! Your friend must be really talented, then," Neville said, eyes wide in awe.

"Yeah, no kidding," Cub replied. Hermione narrowed her eyes slightly, clearly not believing us completely.

"Accidental magic? Hmmm…" she muttered quietly under her breath.

"So, how long have you had them for, Harry?" Neville asked as I stalked a butterfly, allowing myself to act like a young shinx cub for once.

"Ahh, about since I was six or seven, I think. A long time," Cub told him. "We've done a lot together, and we've gotten pretty close. I remember this one time... eh, you guys probably wouldn't want to hear about it," he trailed off, catching his friends' attention. I knew that Cub really did like to talk a lot to others, but sometimes he talked too much and annoyed them by accident.

"What? What happened? Tell us, please!" Hermione asked eagerly, eyes shining. Neville nodded.

"Yeah, mate, what happened? Now we're curious," he said. Cub laughed.

"Alright, alright, I'll tell you. Actually, now that I think on it... I have funny stories about all of them, not just the one I was thinking about. You guys wanna hear 'em?" he asked, grinning widely. His two friends eagerly nodded.

Cub chuckled slightly and lay down on the grass, looking up at the clouds. "Well, the first incident I was thinking about was with Glider. You see, we were walking through town, going to the library. The Pride was, as usual, perched somewhere on my clothes, usually napping. Glider, however, was feeling restless for some reason, so he was swooping around my head. Unfortunately..."

As Cub kept talking, I ended up tuning him out as Devil sat down next to me. "Hey, do you think he'll tell them about the time with the balls of light that you were playing with? Or the Berry Bush Incident?"

I twitched and felt my fur prickle as I remembered _that_ particular incident. How was I supposed to know that it was actually a group of roselia? Not my fault they were under an actual berry bush...

"Well, if we're going to talk about embarrassing stories, then I'll get him to tell them about that Sledding Accident. And the Magikarp Fight, _and_ the Tauros Stampede," I retorted. I heard Flare come slithering up from behind, hissing with laughter.

"Oh, I remember thossse," he hissed.

"Come on, are you two both ganging up on me? Must I remind you of that pretty female you were wooing for, like, ten minutes until you realized it was just a plushie? Or the time when-"

"Hey, she was pretty! It's not my fault that those plushies are getting more and more realistic every year," Flare grumbled. By now the other three members of the Pride were gathered around us, laughing in their own ways.

"Oh, guys, remember when Draca went into Ballistic-Momma-Ursaring Mode on that doctor who tried to give Cub a vaccination, then did a complete 180 when she realized that it was supposed to help him? That was hilarious!" Spike said, ignoring the flush and dirty looks that the female dragonair sent his way.

"Well, what about the time when Spike tried to wrestle a machamp? I don't even remember why he did it, I think it was some stupid reason..." she retorted. Spike growled.

"No, it was because Devil dared me to!" the lucario snapped good-naturedly. Draca snorted and whacked his head lightly with the hard jewels on the end of her tail.

"Well, whatever the reason, it was a stupid idea."

"Hey, technically it's Devil's fault!"

"Wha- don't you try to pin the blame on me, Spike! You're the one who said yes!"

"Yeah, but you're the one who suggested it in the first place!"

"Why you- arrgghh!"

By now, a small scuffle had erupted between Spike and Devil as they argued over whose fault that incident really was. Draca just rolled her eyes and muttered "Males..." under her breath before finding a nice sunny spot to curl up and nap in. Glider took up residence in a tree, hanging upside down from a branch and observing the three humans, who were laughing at something Cub had said. For my part, I simply strolled up to Neville and settled in his lap, enjoying the sensation of his fingers stroking my back.

As I closed my eyes and let the sound of Cub's voice wash over me, I thought back to old memories just now unearthed. Ahh, good times, good times...

Ach, now I sounded like an old elder. Next my mane would start turning grey and I would begin telling young cubs, "When I was your age..."

The sound of Neville's stomach growling jolted me out of my dozing state, reminding me that it was now lunchtime and that I was hungry.

"Oh, we should probably head up to the castle now, we don't want to be late for lunch," Hermione fretted as she stood up and brushed some grass of her cloak.

"Don't worry we have at least fifteen minutes. We can take our time," Cub replied reassuringly.

As I leapt onto Cub's shoulder and the rest of the Pride settled into their usual spots, the three eleven-year-olds began the short walk back.

"So, did Devil really take an impromptu trip down a mountain?" Neville asked after a minute, nearly tripping over a rock in the process.

"Wait, Harry, how did you get them to have limited control over elements? I've never heard a spell that can do that," Hermione interrupted.

"Eh, that was part of the accidental magic, I guess. Believe me, my friend and I were completely baffled by it. On the plus side, however, I'll always have a reliable method of starting a fire if need be. On the downside, couple their overprotectiveness with elemental powers, and, well... more than one person has gotten burned on occasion, let's just leave it at that." Cub snickered, remembering the events of the Headmaster's Office Fiasco.

"Interesting..." Hermione murmured quietly. A prickle of unease ran over my spine. Hermione was quite clearly one of the brightest young witches I'd ever met, so... was it a possibility that she might actually figure it out?

"Wow, that's so cool. I wish I had one to protect me. Maybe then I wouldn't get into trouble all the time," Neville said.

"Eh, I don't know about that. Sometimes they deliberately let me do something like trip and land in the lake or something like that just so they can laugh at me," Cub replied easily.

Neville laughed at that. "He, they really do have their own personalities, huh? Still, that's really cool. I don't think even Trevor is as expressive as they are."

"Yeah, but Trevor's a toad. Toads, no offense, just aren't that intelligent."

"True."

Then we entered the Great Hall, getting there a few minutes early. Hermione and Neville split off to join the Gryffindor table, while Cub walked over to his fellow Ravenclaws.

About halfway through lunch, however, the entire school got an excellent demonstration of just how overprotective the Pride is of our Cub. Having evidently not learned from his previous experience, the false BWL was attempting to do what he did best- pull the whole "I'm the Boy Who Lived, give me (insert whatever the idiot wants here)" routine. Only this time, he was trying it on Cub. His object(s) of desire? The Pride. Of course, you can probably imagine how that went down.

"So, those little monsters of yours- hand 'em over, and I'll forgive you for insulting me," Chris said greedily. Cub looked up from his lunch and tipped his head to the side innocently.

"Why would I do that?" he replied.

"Because I'm the Boy Who Lived!" was his twin's response.

Cub snorted and went back to his sandwich. "So?"

I had no idea the human complexion could turn that color. It was quite interesting.

"Listen, just give 'em to me and I'll forgive you. Now hand 'em over!" he hissed, eyes narrowed in an attempt to look intimidating. Cub chuckled, amused by the failed attempt. By now we were attracting attention from the staff table, as well as from the rest of the students.

"Oh, never mind! I suppose a dimwit like you couldn't understand what I'm saying anyway. Guess I'll just have to take those myself, then." He smirked, darting his hand out and grabbing Devil. The houndoom, surprised at the kid's fast reflexes, was stunned for a moment before growling and biting the boy's hand.

"Ow! The little bugger bit me!" he cried indignantly.

"Yeah, he'll do that when he's annoyed. Hey, count yourself lucky. At least you didn't get bitten by Flare; I'm fairly sure he's poisonous." Cub looked on with a smug expression on his face, clearly enjoying this. At this point we now had the attention of just about everybody in the hall.

Then Christopher Potter made the mistake of aiming a sloppy punch at Cub, easily dodged. But that move triggered something that he probably didn't expect- the wrath of the Pride. All six of us jumped him at once, attacking every available piece of exposed skin. Draca was the fiercest, fighting in full Momma Ursaring mode.

Unfortunately for us but luckily for him, about a minute later James Potter stormed down to break it up. After a short argument Cub sulkily called us back, though I did manage to get in another scratch as I leapt from where I'd clung to the other boy's face to Cub's shoulder. At this point Chris looked like he'd lost a fight with a thorn bush, then somehow fallen down a mountain into a pit full of snakes. It wasn't pretty, to say the least.

"Both of you, to the Headmaster's office. Now," Chris' father growled out, gritting his teeth angrily. Cub just rolled his eyes and got up, grabbing the remains of his sandwich and meandering lazily out of the hall as if nothing had happened.

Sure, we might get in trouble, but it was worth it to feel the satisfaction of being able to rake my claws down that arrogant #$%'s face.


	10. A Dragon Named Norbert(a)

**So, for those of you who haven't read my other ongoing story, Honor Among Thieves, I am switching to a new updating schedule now that school's started and I have a lot less time. Since I have two WIP stories right now, I'm going to alternate updates on them every week. So, last week I updated Honor Among Thieves, this week I'm updating this story, next week is Honor Among Thieves, and so on. Got it? Good.**

**THANK YOU to leobutler, Gir240, Saria19, Firehedgehog, Silvermane1, Kyrianae Narii, ultima-owner, Akatsuki's Neko Stalker, SNolon, Prototron MJ Tornada, Angel wolf11021, and BlueRoseMidnight for reviewing!**

**To Gir240: Actually, now that I think about it, it kinda does. Huh, interesting.**

**Sasuke: -_- ... I am nothing like that spoiled brat...**

**Naruto: Actually, sometimes you kind of are, teme...**

**To Prototron MJ Tornada: Oh, by all means, be my guest. Put Reaper's sword arms to good use... mwahaha...**

**Disclaimer: Don't own. End of story.**

* * *

"...so, Mr. Potter, what do you have to say for yourself, hmm? It seems to me that your 'Pride' has once again attacked another student. Perhaps they should be confiscated, until they are no longer quite so… hostile."

Cub frowned angrily. "Actually, I don't believe that you have any right to do that, considering that they only attacked in self defense. Therefore, as Chris was the one who instigated the fight, they were merely defending me. And the rules state that if a student attacks another, the attacked student may defend themselves using any means necessary. As I defended myself using the Pride, you have no right to confiscate them. So if you'll excuse me, I believe my friends are waiting."

With that, Cub stood and exited the room, ignoring the Headmaster's attempts to make him stay. Once we got out into the hall, we found Hermione and Neville waiting at the gargoyle.

"Heh. Old coot's just a waste of my time," Cub muttered under his breath. I agreed wholeheartedly.

"Oh, Harry! What happened? You didn't get in trouble, did you? After all, it was a clear-cut case of self defense. I looked it up in _Hogwarts, a History,_ and it states that if-"

"One student attacks another, the attacked student may use any means necessary to defend themselves. Yeah, I know. Don't worry, I didn't get in trouble. They were all super mad, though, since I think they just wanted an excuse to punish me. And because I just walked out. But according to Hogwarts Rules, I'm not in trouble," he replied. Hermione closed her jaw with a snap, looking slightly relieved.

"Oh, that's good, then," she said happily. After seeing the obviously biased treatment of Chris given to him by the Headmaster and nearly all the teachers, most of all James Potter, Lily Potter, and Sirius Black, Hermione no longer had the love for authority figures that she once had.

"Yeah, that's good. Come on, let's go down to Hagrid's, I want to thank him for that Herbology book he loaned me," Neville said. The other two nodded, and the trio then set out for the grounds. Behind us, however, I scented the biased teachers exiting Dumbodore's office, the stench of anger and indignation rolling off in waves.

Twisting my neck around to see the four humans exit, I smirked smugly at them and stuck out my tongue. Devil, on Cub's other shoulder, snickered to himself and barked, "Hey, did you know that humans have a set number of colors when they're mad? First it's red, then purple, then reddish-purple, then this really weird darkish color, and bright red. Then when they calm down they kinda just slowly fade back to normal. Isn't that strange?" he asked between snickers. Spike laughed at that, while Flare kinda made a strange hissing sound that counted as serpentine laughter.

Upon reaching Hagrid's house, I felt my fur prickle slightly when faced with the unusually high temperatures emitting from the wooden hut. All the curtains were drawn shut, but I could see the flickering light of a large fire behind them. Devil leaned forward and sniffed the air, flaring his nostrils as wide as they could go.

"Smells like smoke… brandy… chicken… blood… and… ehh, reptile? It's really faint, though, overlayed by the smoke. Strange…" he muttered, eyes closed in concentration. Cub raised an eyebrow at the strange list.

"What's he doing in there?" Neville asked. "I can feel the heat from here, and we aren't even inside yet. He does realize that he lives in a wooden house, right?"

Hermione frowned slightly. "You know, I did see him in the library earlier, checking out books about raising dragons. I took a look at one of them myself, and it said that eggs should be kept in large fires before hatching…"

The three friends all came to the same conclusion at the same time. They looked at each other, wide-eyed with shock. "Nooo… he wouldn't…." Neville breathed quietly.

"He _has_ said that he's always wanted a dragon for a pet, remember?" Cub replied softly.

"Oh, that's so dangerous, he lives in a wooden house! And they can get so big…" Hermione whimpered slightly. Then the door opened and Hagrid peeked out, whispering hoarsely, "Come in, quick you three!" before ushering the three inside.

All eyes immediately went to the fireplace, where, to our horror, a large shiny egg was resting right smack in the middle of the fireplace.

"Yeah, he did," Cub whispered. "Hagrid finally got a dragon."

"At least the explains the blood scent," Devil murmured as he saw a bucked of brandy and chicken blood in the corner.

* * *

"Look, it's hatching!"

"Isn't he beautiful? I think I'm gonna call him Norbert."

Cub resisted the urge to sweatdrop anime-style as the three watched Hagrid coo over the baby dragon as if it was a puppy or a kitten. Then Draca, being a dragon type, muttered something in Cub's ear which really did make him do an anime sweatdrop.

"Uhh, Hagrid? She's a girl," he said awkwardly. Hagrid stopped petting her and quickly examined the dragonet more closely before nodding in agreement.

"Yah, yer right, Harry. Guess that means I gotta call her Norberta instead ah Norbert, eh?" he chuckled, not even noticing when Norbert(a) sneezed out several bright orange sparks onto his wooden kitchen table. Now all three of them did sweatdrops, while resisting the urge to facepalm.

Just then I caught a flash of platinum blond hair out of the corner of my eye, through the window. Leaping off the Cub's shoulder and bounding up to the windowsill, I growled and felt my hackles raise at the sight of Malfoy sprinting up the grounds to the castle.

He had seen the dragon.

* * *

"I can get her to a dragon preserve in Romania," Cub announced suddenly. Hermione, Cub, and Neville were sitting in their private clearing, discussing how to get Norberta out of the castle before Malfoy ratted them out. Since Hagrid wasn't really that bad of a guy, none of them really wanted him to get in trouble.

Hermione and Neville suddenly whipped around and focused all their attention on the other boy. Thus far he'd been silent, pondering their situation quietly. Now he was actually making a suggestion, though his two friends probably thought it completely unreasonable.

"What are you talking about, Harry? Do you have a friend who works there or something?" the bushy-haired girl inquired. Cub shook his head.

"Not really. Point is, I can get her there, given a map and about half a day. So I can do it this Saturday," he replied.

"Harry, that's impossible! You can't travel all the way to Romania in half a day! You can't even Apparate, and you can't leave school grounds!" Neville exclaimed incredulously.

"Well, I can. Hold on a sec, I need to check something really quick. Stay here," he said. Then he got up and retreated from the clearing, ignoring his two friends' confused expressions.

"Okay guys. I need your help. Should I tell them about my animagus forms?" Cub asked, setting us on the ground and resizing us. I tipped my head to the side and went over what we knew of his two friends. Could they keep a secret, or would it be all over the school by tomorrow?

"I think you can. Their auras say that they are trustworthy," Spike answered seriously. The rest of us nodded in agreement. Hermione and Neville were truly loyal to Cub, and I did believe that they would be able to keep it to themselves.

Walking back to the clearing, Cub sat down cross-legged on the grass, facing his two friends. "Okay, I'll tell you guys how. but first, I need you both to promise me that you never let anybody else know about this. And I mean _anyone_, not you pet, not your other friends, and most definitely not any of the teachers," he said sternly.

Now the two looked slightly worried. After a few seconds, however, both of them agreed to his terms. Cub sat back, smiling. Then he gestured for the Pride to get off. We did so, leaping off and arranging ourselves on the grass. Then Cub smiled, saying, "I think it'll be easier to show you rather than just tell you. But remember, nobody else can know."

With that, Cub transformed into a panther, amid shocked gasps. Then he became a ninetales, making the pair's eyes grow even wider. Finally he shifted to his phoenix form, changing back as his friends goggled at him.

"My phoenix form is how I'll get there in half a day. All I need to know is where; my phoenix instincts will do the rest. Norberta can be carried in a crate or something," he said calmly, acting as if he was merely chatting about the weather.

Hermione's jaw worked for a few seconds before she finally got out, "Y-you're an animagus! A _multiple_ animagus! A multiple animagus with a _magical creature_ form! And a nine-tailed fox form!"

Neville just stared. Cub leaned over and waved his hand in front of his friend's face. "Hellooo… Neville… you okay?" he asked in a concerned tone. Then Neville's eyes rolled back and he collapsed onto his back with a thump, completely unconscious.

Hermione just sniffed disdainfully before pelting Cub with questions. I could practically read her thoughts- something along the lines of, _men are such wimps._

* * *

Norberta was dropped off in an unmarked crate in the middle of a Romanian dragon preserve by mid-afternoon the next Saturday. Only a hasty note pinned to the top of the box held any clue as to where the young dragonet came from. It said this:

Name: Norberta

Gender: Female

Age: One Week

From a Friend

Unfortunately, due to the lack of detail, nobody had any ideas on where it came from. And only one young man by the name of Charlie Weasley caught sight of the black phoenix that watched from the trees as Norberta's crate was discovered. But when he went to investigate, all that was left was a single black feather.

The young man kept the feather, never letting anybody know who it was from, until the end of his days. It wouldn't be until all was revealed years later, however, that he finally realized where Norberta had come from.

* * *

Cub made it back just as Professor McGonagall was heading towards Hagrid's house, with Malfoy in tow. Hermione and Neville were waiting for him as he appeared in their clearing in a flash of black fire, transforming to his human midair and to land on his feet.

"Alright, Norberta is now in Romania and will be taken good care of. Hagrid won't get in trouble, Norberta won't burn down Hogwarts, and everyone is happy. All in all, that's a pretty good day's work," he said with a grin.

"Yeah, and we got all the evidence out too. Just in time; Malfoy's just brought Professor McGonagall over. I think she's inside now," Neville replied. Hermione smiled, though she did look slightly guilty at tricking a teacher.

Then Cub got an idea. "Hey, let's go to Hagrid's and watch Malfoy get embarrassed. McGonagall will think he's lying, so maybe she'll even take points!"

I purred in agreement, hopping back onto Cub's shoulder. It would be nice to see that pompous idiot taken down a peg or two… or three… or ten…

The sound of Malfoy's protesting voice drifted out of the open door as the three friends approached. The blond boy was arguing heatedly by the deputy headmistress, who was looking more and more annoyed by the second.

"I'm telling you, it was here! I saw it, clear as day!" he shouted angrily. He continued to yell, arguing with stupid reasons but no hard evidence. Finally, Professor McGonagall got tired of his whining and snapped.

"Detention, Mr. Malfoy, and ten points from Slytherin from yelling at a teacher, lying to a teacher, and making unjust accusations against a staff member. Now, meet me in my office at seven o'clock exactly." Then she swept out of the room, only pausing to smile slightly at Cub, Hermione, and Neville. Malfoy stomped out a moment later, too angry to notice the three friends by the doorway.

"Well, that was entertaining," Cub said.

"Heh, Malfoy deserved it. He's got an ego the size of Hogwarts," Neville chuckled. Hermione, meanwhile, merely gazed at Cub thoughtfully. I think that Cub showing them his ninetales form had kick-started the gears in Hermione's mind, and that the young witch might figure it out soon. This would be interesting.

OfOf, Turkey, a town and district in Trabzon, Turkey 


	11. All is Revealed, New Trainers

**FIFTEEN REVIEWS FOR ONE CHAPTER! I'M SO HAPPY!**

**Huge thanks to Smugraptor, Kyrianae Narii, BlueRoseMidnight, Prototron MJ Tornada, Firehedgehog,**

** ultima-owner, 917 brat, Akatsuki's Neko Stalker, Saria19, Silvermane1, Harrypfan2001, ibterismith50, DragonFire Princess, Baby Fawn, and Azzie Daughter Of Posideon for reviewing!**

**To Smugraptor: Sorry, but I will not be writing any pairings in this story. My reasons are: 1. I can't write romace. I've tried. Believe me, it would lower my writing quality quite a bit. 2. The kids are only 11. I don't know about you, but when I was that age. love was gross and mushy. Sorry about that! I hope you don't stop reading because I'm not writing in a pairing!**

**To BlueRoseMidnight: That was actually a complete accident. You know how on doc manager, if you highlight something it sometimes tells you the wikipedia definition? Well, that's what happened when I hightlight the letter O by accident, and somehow managed to copy-paste it onto the end of the chapter. It's actually completely irrelevant, just ignore it. Sorry! I'm too lazy to get rid of it, though.  
**

**To 917 brat: To answer your questions in order: Yes, yes, yes, yes, no. To explain that last one, although the Potters technically have no power over him, Chris' status as the BWL does give them a lot of influence. Plus Fumbodore's backing them, and he has lots of influences as well. So they're trying to get ahold of him anyway, even though he changed his name.**

**To Saria19: Don't worry, the unicorns will be taken care of, as well as Quirrel. And Cub will revisit his homeworld, at this point I think he likes it better than Earth. But I won't say to much, otherwise I'll give away the story.  
**

**Disclaimer: See previous chapters.**

* * *

"Nine tailed fox… nine tailed fox… where is it? I _know_ I've seen it before… aha!"

The bushy-haired girl nearly shouted in triumph before remembering that she was in the library, closing her mouth with a _snap_. I watched from my perch atop a nearby bookshelf, smirking when I saw a fully colored stylized picture of a ninetales against a background of flames taking up an entire page. The page beside it contained its stats, attacks, and a short description along with the noteable ninetales throughout history as well as some of the legends surrounding it.

Hermione scanned the page eagerly, but frowned when she got to the part about them all primarily being one color, barring shinies. And even then, shinies were paler with light blue tipped tails, not black and green. Having seen enough, I turned and leapt from shelf top to shelf top as the girl continued to leaf through the book on Kanto pokemon. Cub would like to know about this, even though we'd all seen it coming. Really, it was just a matter of time.

When I got back to where Cub was meditating out in the forest, none of us were surprised when I relayed my findings. In fact, Flare now owed Glider four oran berries since he'd thought it would at least take a month. Glider, having had more faith in the girl, told him that she'd figure it out within the week.

"Oh come on, how come she couldn't have figured it out a little later? Now she made me lose my bet," Flare hissed in annoyance. Spike just laughed and shook his head.

"I warned you not to underestimate her, Flare. Hey, do you think she'll confront Cub about it first, or will she grab Neville? I bet she'll grab Neville, then drag him along to confront Cub," Draca wondered as she coiled herself elegantly on Cub's head, absorbing heat from his black hair.

"Well, I guess we'll find out in about five minutes, since I can sense them exiting the castle and heading this way. It's…" Cub cocked his head to the side and closed his eyes, allowing his aura to spread and create a mental image of his surroundings- a useful technique Spike had taught him to sense the area without setting off any magical alarm bells. "Yeah, Hermione and Neville. Looks like you were right, Draca. Well, this'll be interesting." The emerald-eyed boy grinned and waved his hand, resizing us to our proper sizes. Then he transformed into a ninetales and trotted to the center of the clearing, curling up in a patch of sun.

"Want to make an entrance, huh? You always did love showing off," I purred as I sat beside him, wrapping my tail around my paws.

Devil sat to Cub's left while I sat on his right, giving the appearance of bodyguards flanking employer. Draca and Flare coiled themselves behind him, Draca lifting her head regally to so that the jewel in her forehead flashed in the sunlight and Flare had his hood spread all the way, giving a complete view of the hypnotic designs that decorated his scales. Finally, Spike was seated in a meditative position with Glider perched on his shoulder hovering in the air with the use of Psychic, causing a blue aura to exude from them both. All in all, we made quite the imposing sight. I wondered if it was meant to intimidate or impress. A bit of both, I suppose.

Soon the sounds of fast walking could be heard, twigs snapping and leaves crunching as if an ursaring was on the move.

"Come on, he's got to be here, he isn't anywhere else," Hermione told Neville, striding briskly into the clearing. The timid boy hurried along behind her, struggling not to trip over the edge of his robes. At the sight of us, however, both children stopped short. Neville gulped audibly.

"You know, Hermione, maybe disturbing his nap isn't such a good idea… I mean, they look a whole lot scarier when they're in their real sizes, and not shrunk down to three inches tall. Maybe we should come back later…" he suggested. The girl shook her head firmly.

"No, we need to talk now, whether he's napping or not. Besides, they won't hurt us if we don't hurt Harry, remember?" she said, walking closer. Well, she had guts, I'll giver her that. For all her bravado, though, she was still merely an eleven-year-old girl, and I could smell the fear-scent that trailed from her strongly.

Before she got more than a few yards away, however, Cub cracked open one emerald green eye. Upon seeing Hermione he then opened the other one and stood, fanning out his tails so that they waved majestically in the sunlight.

"Oh, you are _so_ just showing off now," I told him. He replied with a foxy grin and a shrug.

"Okay, okay, so I've always been a bit of a drama king, so what? Comes from living with Koga and Aya for so long. For ninja, they act pretty flashy," he said. Since to humans this probably sounded like a combination of various parts of the word ninetales, yips, and barks, Cub then returned to his human form. Hermione then took the opportunity to march up and jab him in the chest, glaring up at the taller boy.

"You! You prat! Why didn't you tell us they were pokemon? Don't you trust us?" she hissed angrily. Spike snickered behind his paw.

"You're in trou-ble," he sing-songed in perfect, if American accented, English. Neville suddenly went quite pale, and even Hermione stopped her rant for a moment to stare.

"Wha- how is that possible? The only lucario every recorded to have been able to learn the human language was the famous Aura Reader, the lucario who trained under Riley and saved the Tree… but he turned to crystal and let his spirit join his partners. That's what the book says!" the girl exclaimed softly. Spike chuckled smiled at her.

"Yeah, that's true, but you've forgotten that he also had descendants, remember? I think he's one of my ancestors, but we're not totally sure yet. Still, it's a plausible theory, though untestable since pokemon don't keep records of our family trees," he said.

Neville, who was already pale as a ghost, apparently couldn't take anymore and sat down heavily with a thump. Then he buried his head in his hands and started to breathe heavily, probably trying to calm down.

"Okay… okay… Spike talks, it's not a big deal, pokemon aren't extinct, I'm not surprised, Harry's always been unpredictable, not surprised, everything's good, I'm fine…" Neville repeated this and variations of it for a good several minutes before it was safe for him to look again without fainting.

"Okay, Harry. You, mate, owe us an explanation. Now, start from the beginning. How are pokemon not extinct, and how can you transform into one?" he demanded.

Cub sighed, a slight smirk flitting across his face as he sat cross-legged on the grass. "Now that, my friends, is a very long story… it's a good thing today's Saturday," he replied. "Because I trust you enough to tell you guys everything. Just remember, though, nothing you hear leaves this clearing, got it? Good. Now, it started around five or six years ago, when a legendary known as Mewtwo paid me a visit…"

* * *

"So let me get this straight, Harry. You were spirited away from your abusive relatives' house by a legendary pokemon that is the clone of another legendary pokemon to a different planet where pokemon are not only alive but thriving to be raised by a group of other pokemon and trained by two of the most famous magical people in history plus a pair of ninjas. Did I get that right?"

"Eh, just about. One heck of a run-on sentence, though."

"Shut up, Harry."

"it was really long run-on sentence, though."

"Neville!"

And just like that they were back to normal, laughing and joking like the kids they were. That is, until Cub remembered an exploration trip he'd been meaning to undertake for a while.

"Hey guys, want to look for a hidden room with me? I heard about it from a couple of the house-elves, and it sounds really cool. Apparently there's a room filled entirely with discarded stuff, and some of it is valuable!" he said eagerly. The other two instantly agreed. The Pride was shrunk back down, with Hermione oohing and aahing over the use of wandless magic. All the way back to the castle she pelted Cub with questions, ranging from what it was like to live with ninjas to what Merlin's favorite spell was. Their conversation was… confusing, to say the least.

Still, it was nice to know that their new knowledge of Cub's abilities didn't daunt his friends at all. If anything, the three seemed closer than ever.

* * *

"Whoa! This- this- this is an original copy of _Hogwarts, a History!_ It's over a hundred years old, vintage, and still in good condition! This book is _priceless!_"

"Wow! A real live Bulgarian Creeper Vine! These are really, really rare in the wild! And it's just growing all over the wall!"

Cub laughed happily at the sound of his friends' delighted exclamations, clambering over a pile of junk. Then a flash of red caught his eye and he turned, leaping towards two small red and white spheres nestled atop a high shelf.

"Hey, Cub, those are pokeballs! What are they doing here?" Devil asked in confusion. The dusty spheres were of an older style, but still new and usable.

The black-haired boy grinned, tapping the button that enlarged the pokeballs and tossing them up in the air. Then, to our shock, twin beams of light shot out to form a pair of pokemon.

One was a fairly young espeon, judging by its smaller size and fluffier kitten-fur. The second was a turtwig, also fairly young. The two blinked in confusion before looking around, focusing on us.

"Where are we? How did we get here? And who are you?" they asked. Hermione and Neville, who had heard the sounds of unfamiliar pokemon, came over to investigate.

"Harry, where'd they come from?" the two humans asked. Cub just shrugged.

"I don't know. I found these pokeballs, but I didn't think that there was going to be anything inside them! I mean, they've probably been here for years. I think their trainers would've come to get them before that." At this the pair looked dejected for a moment before suddenly looking happier. This did not go unnoticed by us, however.

"Your trainers weren't very nice, were they? You didn't like them, and you're happy that they're gone and you're free," Draca stated calmly. The two bristled, but nodded.

"Yes. All they cared about was being strong and powerful and winning battles. Then they found a stone in the woods one day, and somehow ended up in a castle. From there, we were stuck in our pokeballs and don't know anything else. Where are we?"

I purred. "That, is complicated. Now, brace yourselves, since you may not like this…"

* * *

Within the hour, the espeon, who went by the name of Amethyst, had bonded to Hermione, while Root, the turtwig, had instantly attached himself to Neville. The pair now learned the basics of pokemon training and care, while Amethyst and Root were just happy they'd gotten new trainers who actually cared about them.

It was almost uncanny, how well the new trainers meshed with their pokemon. Heck, even their personalities were similar. Root was strong and steady, unfailingly loyal, and was swiftly growing out of a self-confidence problem. Amethyst was smart and good at thinking on her feet, while sharing her new trainer's thirst for knowledge. I don't think they could have found any humans better for them.

And so the weeks passed. Schoolwork, training, and showing Hermione and Neville the ropes took up the months until Christmas Break. Soon, however, we were all crammed into a train compartment steaming happily towards King's Cross Station. I wondered who'd be waiting- nobody, Mewtwo in disguise, or Koga and Aya? I hoped the latter. Or better yet, Koga, Aya, and Mewtwo in disguise.

However, no train ride is complete without at least one more embarrassing incident for the Boy-Who-Lived-in-Luxury. It was, however, quite entertaining for everyone else. Especially Amethyst and Root, who remarked that Chris reminded them of their old trainers and that it was nice to see him get what he deserved.

To make a long story short, however, I'll just say that Christopher Potter attempted to take the Pride for himself. This was met with swift and heavy resistance. When we were done, the BWL bore a closer resemblance to a punching bag mixed with a purple elephant than a human. Perhaps hitting him with all those different spells at once hadn't been a good idea after all… it seemed that Cub's jelly-legs jinx had somehow combined with Neville's color changing one, causing Chris' legs to wobble like jello while rapidly changing colors. It was a rather interesting effect, I will say that.

For the rest of the train ride, various people showed up at our compartment to either thank or yell at us. Most of those who yelled at us were the brat's fangirls, annoying little humans who thought he was a veritable angel. Ha. Then there were those like Fred and George, who congratulated us for finally giving the little snot what he deserved.

Even Malfoy made an appearance soon after, though he left in a hurry when Draca gave him her best Momma-Ursaring-On-a-Rampage glare. I swear one of his goons (Crabbe or Goyle? I can never remember, they all look the same to me. Once you've seen one dumb muscle-bound idiot, you've seen them all) nearly wet his pants. Came pretty darn close, but not quite.

The last half hour of the train ride was spent with Cub telling stories, mostly of funny incidents he hadn't shared earlier due to the strong role pokemon played in them (usually one of the Pride). These included, but were not limited to:

The Great Sledding Accident of Snowpoint City, which involved a sled, the gym, and many shocked trainers.

The Ponyta Stampede. All I'm gonna say is this: Devil will never be a sheepdog. Just don't even go there.

And finally, my favorite: Cub's Most Epic Prank Ever. It involved glitter, paint, traps, bombs, confetti, magic, and much, much more. Need I continue?


	12. A Very Merry Pokemon Christmas

**HUGE THANK YOUS to Chade, ultima-owner, LethalDiamond, Firehedgehog, Silvermane1, Akatsuki's Neko Stalker, Bast Misao, BlueRoseMidnight, Legend of the Hallows, jeanette9a, and Myrddin Ignis Magus for reviewing!**

**To Chade: Yeah, I've thought about it, but considering my schedule right now, I'll have time to write it about six months from now. If I'm lucky. So, if anybody wants to write about an incident themselves, using my story as a prompt, just know that I'm throwing it out there. Just credit me for the idea and let me know, please!**

**To Bast Misao: Now that I'm going back and actually doing research instead of trying to remember off the top of my head, I've realized that you're right. It was Sir Aaron, not Riley. Oops. But I'm too lazy to go back and change it, so just pretend it says Sir Aaron instead of Riley, 'k? Thanks. Sorry for the mix=up!**

**To Myrddin Ignis Magus: Well, sorry if you don't like the POV, but if you're not going to read it, why waste your time by posting a review saying you're not going to read it? Seems kind of silly to me...**

**On a completely unrelated note, just out of curiosity, I've heard people say that they can tell the gender and general age of a person by their writing style. So I'd like to test that out. You don't have to answer this, but it'd be nice if you do. What do you think my age and gender are?**

**Keep in mind, however, that if you answer this, I will not be telling you my gender or age, even if you guess correctly, because I'd prefer to not give any crazy stalkers clues about my real self. So, if you'd like, please answer my questions! Now, on to the chapter. This one's kind of a semi-fluffy filler, but I think it's cute. Enjoy!  
**

* * *

"_You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen…_

_you know Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen…_

_but do you recall…_

_the most famous stantler of all?_

_Rudolph, the red-nosed stantler_

_had a very shiny nose,_

_and if you ever saw him,_

_you would even say it glows_

_All of the other stantler_

_used to laugh and call him names,_

_they never let poor Rudolph_

_join in any stantler games_

_Then one foggy Christmas Eve,_

_Santa came to say_

"_Rudolph, with your nose so bright,_

_won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"_

_Then all the stantler loved him_

_as they shouted out with glee,_

"_Rudolph, the red-nosed stantler,_

_you'll go down in history!"_

I groaned and put my paws over my ears and Cub sang "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Stantler" for the millionth time at the top of his lungs, then started again on "Jingle Bells" as he decorated the Christmas tree. Spike patted my head in sympathy, wincing slightly as Neville joined in on the chorus. Of the three friends, only Hermione had any real singing voice, though Cub was at least better than Neville. If you count sounding more like an out of tune instrument than a piano with half the keys missing an improvement, that is.

A few days in Christmas Break, Cub made a trip to the wizarding world to pick up Hermione and Neville, who would stay until the day before Christmas Eve to "get used to their pokemon more", though the real reason was so they could learn more about Cub's world and hang out with him. Already they'd made huge progress in their training, Hermione researching a method for an altered translation spell to allow her to communicate with Amethyst while Neville focused more on getting Root to help him with his plants. Neither pair were as avid battlers as Cub was, but each had their different strengths. Besides, put together, the three friends complemented each other pretty well.

"Aya, I don't think throwing a shuriken on top of the tree is what Hermione meant by putting the star on top…"

"Well, it's a star, isn't it?"

"Yes, but you're supposed to put this yellow cardboard star on top, not a ninja star."

"Oh…"

"Wait, is that a _real_ ninja star?"

"Um, yes. I told you, Hermione, I live with ninjas. Did you think I was kidding?."

Hermione could only gulp slightly and eye the sharpened weapon with some fear, especially once Aya huffed in annoyance and tossed it at the wall, embedding the metal ends a good centimeter into the wood.

Koga just laughed and shook his head. "Aya, you're scaring the girl. Don't worry, we don't attack unless you're an enemy."

"Or a challenger," Cub muttered as he rolled his eyes. The two siblings just loved to scare the heck out of any trainers who challenged the gym, setting traps and pinning them to walls with shuriken. It never failed. I even saw a couple once who wet their pants.

Suddenly a yowl came from the window. "Look, it's snowing!" Amethyst cried, rearing up on her hind paws to reach the windowsill.

There was a sudden stampede as everyone rushed to the window, oohing and ahhing at the frozen white flakes. I just snorted and rolled my eyes, resting my head on my paws as the humans and the two new additions (Amethyst and Root) rushed to see the snowfall.

"Heh," Flare hissed. "He does this every year. Cub never changes, eh?"

Spike nodded. "Yeah, it's funny how he can be so mature, yet act so much like a little kid sometimes."

"Ahh, we love him anyway," Draca laughed. I nodded.

"He's Cub. He'll never change."

* * *

"Snowball fight!"

_WHAM!_

"Mrrowr!"

"Harry!" Hermione sputtered as she wiped snow off her face, Cub having hit her right on the nose. Then the young witch grinned mischievously and pulled out her wand, waving it and muttering a few words under her breath. Snowballs began to shape themselves and hovered in the air, then flew towards Cub in a hail of white.

_WHOOSH!_

The animagus transformed into his ninetales form and used Flamethrower to melt the snowballs midair, then yipped as he was blindsided by Neville and Root. It then evolved into an all-out snowball war, with forts being built and snowballs filling the air like rain.

Then I got smacked in the back of the head by a cold sphere, Spike roaring in laughter as he packed another in his paws. I bared my teeth in a savage grin and allowed sparks to leap between my fangs, packing snow into a rough sphere and lacing it with electricity.

"Oh, it is _on_ now," I growled eagerly.

* * *

I leapt back as a blur of red swept past me, kicking up snow in its wake. Shrieks followed it as it continued down the mountain, weaving around trees and skipping over bumps. The sled finally came to a stop at the bottom, slamming into a large mound of snow that spilled it over to its side, throwing out the three kids.

Neville dug himself out of the snow and collapsed onto his back, Root lying on his shell like a stuck beetle about a foot away. Hermione was lying propped up on her elbows, with a dazed look on her face as she stared at the cloudy sky. Amethyst lay on her side, panting as the adrenaline wore off and the snow cooled her fur. Cub was the only one standing, having leapt off at the last moment and landed on his feet. However, the force of his landing sank him several inches into the soft powder, leaving deep footprints as he stepped out.

"That was awesome! Let's do it again!" he cried. Neville just groaned and threw an arm over his eyes, shaking his head. Hermione was still dazed, eyes slightly out of focus.

"Nah, I'm good. That was too scary for me," Neville replied.

Cub mock-pouted. "Meh, spoilsport."

* * *

"_I'm dreaming of a white Christmas_

_Just like the ones I used to know_

_Where the treetops glisten _

_and children listen_

_To hear sleigh bells in the snow…"_

Christmas music played on the radio as Cub and his friends sat by the fireplace, roasting marshmallows and drinking hot chocolate and just having a good time. The scene was like one right out of a storybook; snow was gently falling outside the window, the only light came from the flickering flames, there was even a throw rug placed in front of the fire.

And of course, we can't forget the Christmas tree, sitting in the far corner with fancily-wrapped presents and sparkling lines of tinsel and ornaments reflecting the firelight. The humans had really gone all out this year, even string Christmas lights all over the house that flashed in bright patterns or simply glowed gently. It was a magical scene.

"He looks so happy with them, doesn't he?" Glider murmured.

"Yeah, he does. I think having a couple human friends his age has been good for him. He doesn't act so much like a serious adult anymore," Draca replied. Devil nodded and shot a couple embers into the fire, making it momentarily blaze higher and set Hermione's marshmallow on fire before she blew it out.

"Mm hm. It's nice to see him joke around without having to hide anything. Before he could only do that with us, Koga, and Aya. And usually Koga and Aya are either managing the gym or at the League over in Johto. Not to mention that he now lives at Hogwarts for most of the year, an entire planet away," Spike said.

"Have you noticed, though? It's not just them that are good for him, he's good for them too. They've both gotten a lot more outgoing, and Hermione's gotten over her know-it-all attitude while Neville's definitely come out of his shell more. Plus, now that his friends both have pokemon partners, it's another thing they can bond over," Flare hissed.

Watching the group laugh and talk and poke fun at each other, I had to agree. They were good for each other. These three were friends that would never be torn apart.

* * *

"Goodbye, Harry! Goodbye, Neville! Take care! See you both at school!" Hermione called, waving from the front stoop of her house as Cub walked back to where Neville was waiting on the sidewalk. He waved back and set his hand on Neville's shoulder, transporting them both to the Longbottom estate.

"Happy Christmas!" Neville said, standing next to his grandmother as Cub waved goodbye. Then the seven of us, the Pride once again in miniature, were transported back to the Pokemon World by Mewtwo.

When we arrived back at the house, it was empty. Koga and Aya were out training, so we had the place all to ourselves.

"Y'know, it feels kind of empty now," Cub mused quietly as he sat high in a tree and watched a couple of clueless looking trainers wander around.

"Cheer up, you'll be seeing 'em in less than a week again," Flare hissed. Cub nodded, then grinned as he grabbed a shuriken from his belt pouch and embedded it in the tree trunk less than an inch from one trainer's head. The pair yelped and jumped back, looking utterly terrified as they frantically scanned the area.

"Yeah, I know. Come on, let's herd them away from that giant cliff they're heading towards and let Koga and Aya know that they've got challengers," Cub replied.

* * *

"Oh Cu-ub~, guess what day it is," I sing-songed while panting my front paws firmly on Cub's chest. He groaned and cracked on eyelid open, then prompty squeezed it shut again.

"I know, it's Christmas."

A beat of silence. _Wait for it…_

"It's Christmas!"

Suddenly Cub was up and about, rushing to the bathroom and quickly changing out of his PJs in less than five minutes. He did this every Christmas; waking up all sleepy without registering the date, then suddenly remember and start acting like a little kid again. Though in a sense, he still kind of was one.

"Koga, Aya, wake up! It's Christmas!"

And there it was, the yearly Wake-Up-Everyone-Else-In-The-House-Regardless-Of-W hether-Or-Not-They-Want-To-Be-Because-It's-Christm as wake-up call.

Twenty minutes later, the three humans were in the living room, opening presents and thanking each other. It was a happy scene; all three wearing santa hats and surrounded by mounds of wrapping paper, the scent of hot chocolate wafting through the air, and snow falling gently outside the window. The rest of the day was spent playing with their presents, goofing off, and making the most of Christmas day.

That night, as Cub crawled into bed, he was still humming one of Aya's favorite Christmas songs, letting the melody lull him to sleep.

"_Dashing through the snow_

_In a one horse open sleigh_

_O'er the fields we go_

_Laughing all the way_

_Bells on bobtails ring_

_Making spirits bright_

_What fun it is to laugh and sing_

_A sleighing song tonight_

_Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells_

_Jingle all the way_

_Oh, what fun it is to ride_

_In a one horse open sleigh_

_Jingle bells, jingle bells_

_Jingle all the way_

_Oh, what fun it is to ride_

_In a one horse open sleigh_

_A day or two ago_

_I thought I'd take a ride_

_And soon Miss Fanny Bright_

_Was seated by my side_

_The horse was lean and lank_

_Misfortune seemed his lot_

_We got into a drifted bank_

_And then we got upsot_

_Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells_

_Jingle all the way_

_Oh, what fun it is to ride_

_In a one horse open sleigh_

_Jingle bells, jingle bells_

_Jingle all the way_

_Oh, what fun it is to ride_

_In a one horse open sleigh_


End file.
